Preventative antibiotics could prevent Clostridium difficile infection among stem cell transplant patients
The researchers will present their findings at this week's 58th Annual American Society of Hematology Meeting and Exposition in San Diego. Clostridium difficile infection, more commonly known as C. diff, causes diarrhea and can lead to severe inflammation of the bowel. These infections can be not only extremely uncomfortable, but can lead to other severe medical complications. Even with a course of antibiotics, the infection can lead to longer hospital stays and increased treatment cost. A study published last year in the American Journal of Gastroenterology found the average cost of C. diff ranges from $8,911 to $30,049 per patient. Oral vancomycin is a standard antibiotic used to treat C. diff, and researchers at the Abramson Cancer Center began giving it to patients on a preventative basis -- twice daily from the day of admission to the day of discharge. Their study focused on patients with blood cancers undergoing an allogeneic stem cell transplant -- in which patients r...