Diseases of the colon and rectum
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Hospital-acquired Clostridium difficile infection is associated with adverse patient outcomes and high medical costs. The incidence and severity of C. difficile has been rising in both medical and surgical patients. ⋯ Colorectal surgery patients appear to be at high risk for C. difficile infection, and alarming variation in nosocomial C. difficile infection rates currently exists among hospitals after colorectal resection. Given the high morbidity and cost associated with C. difficile colitis, adopting institutional quality improvement programs and maintaining strict prevention strategies are of the utmost importance.
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Surgical site infection is a key hospital-level patient safety indicator. All risk factors for surgical site infection are not always taken into account and adjusted for. ⋯ Patients with IBD undergoing elective colectomy have significantly increased rates of surgical site infection, specifically deep and organ/space infections. Given this information, risk adjustment models for surgical site infection may need to include IBD in their calculation.
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The best management for diverticulitis with abscess formation remains unknown. ⋯ Diverticular abscesses represent complicated diverticulitis and are associated with a high risk of recurrences and disease complications. Recurrences (contrary to other series) were often more severe than the index presentation. The successful CT-guided drainage of a diverticular abscess does not appear to lower the risks of future recurrence or complication rates and frequently is only a bridge to surgery. After initial successful nonoperative management, patients with diverticular abscess should be offered interval elective colectomy (see Video, Supplemental Digital Content 1, http://links.lww.com/DCR/A216).
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The discussion on the role of mechanical bowel preparation and oral antibiotics in elective colorectal surgery is still ongoing. ⋯ Oral systemic antibiotics and mechanical bowel preparation significantly lowered the incidence of surgical site infection after elective colorectal surgery compared with systemic antibiotics alone and mechanical bowel preparation.