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Volume 18, Number 2—February 2012
Dispatch

Determining Mortality Rates Attributable to Clostridium difficile Infection

Susy S. HotaComments to Author , Camille Achonu, Natasha S. Crowcroft, Bart J. Harvey, Albert Lauwers, and Michael A. Gardam
Author affiliations: University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (S.S. Hota, M.A. Gardam); Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion, Toronto (C. Achonu, N.S. Crowcroft); University of Toronto, Toronto (N.S. Crowcroft, B.J. Harvey, M.A. Gardam); Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services, Toronto (A. Lauwers)

Main Article

Table 2

Proportion of deaths within 30 days after CDI, by panel review coding, and hospital, Ontario, Canada, April 2007–February 2008*

Reference category† No. (%) deaths for hospital A within 30 d after
 Panel review, no. No. (%) deaths for hospital B within 30 d after
 Panel review, no. No. (%) deaths for hospitals A and B within 30 d after
 Panel review, no.
Toxin-positive result Clinical onset‡ Toxin-positive result Clinical onset‡ Toxin-positive result Clinical onset‡
Directly/strongly attributable to CDI 17 (94) 17 (94) 18 46 (75) 51 (84) 61 63 (80) 68 (86) 79
Somewhat/ unrelated to CDI 8 (62) 8 (62) 13 16 (57) 18 (64) 28 24 (59) 26 (63) 41
Insufficient information – – – 0 0 1 0 0 1
Total 25 (81) 25 (81) 31 62 (69) 69 (77) 90 87 (72) 94 (78) 121

*CDI, Clostridium difficile infection.
†Categories determined by panel review. Because panel review was considered the reference standard, panel review percentages = 100%.
‡Because recurrent CDI is not always supported by laboratory or pathology confirmation, those patients with recurrent symptoms suggestive of CDI but no toxin confirmation were included by using the date of clinical onset of symptoms nearest to the date of death.

Main Article

Page created: January 03, 2012
Page updated: January 25, 2012
Page reviewed: January 25, 2012
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