Effects of a New Hospital-Wide Surgical Consultation Protocol in Patients with Clostridium difficile Colitis.

Background: Fulminant Clostridium difficile colitis (fCDC) occurs in 2%-8% of patients with CDC and carries a high death rate. Prompt operation may reduce death. Our aim was to determine whether a standardized hospital-wide protocol for surgical referral in CDC would result in earlier surgical consultation, earlier identification of patients who could benefit from surgical therapy, and reduced deaths from fCDC.

Distinct and replicable genetic risk factors for acute respiratory distress syndrome of pulmonary or extrapulmonary origin.

Background: The role of genetics in the development of acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) from direct or indirect lung injury has not been specifically investigated. The aim of this study was to identify genetic variants contributing to ALI/ARDS from pulmonary or extrapulmonary causes.

Methods: We conducted a multistage genetic association study.