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Difficult Decisions in Colorectal Surgery pp 275–281Cite as

Indications for Surgery in Patients with Severe Clostridium Difficile Colitis

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Part of the book series: Difficult Decisions in Surgery: An Evidence-Based Approach ((DDSURGERY))

Abstract

Clostridium difficile colitis (CDC) is the leading cause of nosocomial diarrhea in the United States, with a broad spectrum of symptoms ranging from mild diarrhea to fulminant colitis which can lead to multisystem organ failure and death. For the majority of cases, surgical therapy is unnecessary as CDC responds to antibiotic therapy. Medically refractory colitis carries a high morbidity and mortality, and often necessitates surgical intervention which may also be associated with poor outcomes. The timing of surgery in the setting of CDC is critical; surgical intervention early in the course of disease may lead to an unnecessary colectomy with ileostomy when medical therapy may have been sufficient, but delaying surgical therapy in fulminant colitis commonly leads to a fatal outcome.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA

    Vikram Reddy MD, PhD & Walter Longo MD, MBA

Authors
  1. Vikram Reddy MD, PhD
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  2. Walter Longo MD, MBA
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Correspondence to Walter Longo MD, MBA .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Center, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA

    Neil Hyman

  2. Medical Center, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA

    Konstantin Umanskiy

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Reddy, V., Longo, W. (2017). Indications for Surgery in Patients with Severe Clostridium Difficile Colitis. In: Hyman, N., Umanskiy, K. (eds) Difficult Decisions in Colorectal Surgery. Difficult Decisions in Surgery: An Evidence-Based Approach. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40223-9_25

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40223-9_25

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-40222-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-40223-9

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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