Photo Credit: Jennifer Oosthuizen

Nosocomial Clostridioides difficile infections (CDI) significantly impact outcomes in patients with leukemia, according to a retrospective analysis published in HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine. The study examined data from the 2020 Nationwide Inpatient Sample. The researchers studied the outcomes of 21,135 adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and 58,560 with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). CDI incidences were 2.77% and 3.0% for each respective patient population. CDI was associated with higher mortality, with adjusted odds ratios of 3.02 in ALL (P₀=0.003) and 1.51 in AML (P=0.02). Hospital stays were significantly prolonged for patients with CDI, with mean increases of 10.16 days in ALL and 8.33 days in AML. Additionally, patients with CDI exhibited significantly higher rates of acute kidney injury, sepsis, vasopressor use, and ICU admissions compared to those without CDI. Given their findings, the study authors advocated for robust infection control measures, early CDI detection, and aggressive treatment for patients with leukemia.