Incontinence
Valentine's Day Gifts
The
Dangers of C-Diff & AAD and Their Prevention Measures
By Daniel Dunleavy
Vice President of Marketing at CWI Medical, LLC
Surgery can be one of the most difficult ordeals for a person
to ever go through. Three years ago, my father-in-law was having heart
complications and checked into the hospital. The prognosis was he had
a heart attack and needed to have triple bypass surgery. While recovering,
he contracted a disease of the colon named C-diff. None of us knew what
C-diff was at the time, but later found out that it is a huge epidemic
in hospitals. Because of the disease, he had to have his colon removed
and live with a colostomy bag for the rest of his life. Needless to
say, it was a harrowing experience for not only him, but for our entire
family.
Clostridium difficile (C-diff) is a spore-forming bacterium that releases
toxins in the intestine causing mucosal inflammation, intestinal damage,
and diarrhea. It is one of the most common nosocomial infections, with
incidence and severity on the rise, reaching epidemic levels in the
US. This is possibly due to the increased use of broad-spectrum antibiotics
and the emergence of a C-diff strain that has increased virulence.
Long-term care (LTC) residents are at especially high risk because of
extended length of stay, advanced age, frequent hospitalizations, and
the widespread use of antibiotics (1). From 50% to 75% of residents
in LTC are exposed to 1 or more courses of antibiotics over a 12-month
period (2-6). Up to 33% of LTC residents treated with an antibiotic
acquire C-diff, with a 44% rate of recurrence within 1-2 months (7,
8). Furthermore, up to 65% of residents who have suffered 2 or more
episodes will have another recurrence (8). In the last decade, there
has been an increase of antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) of 500%.
C-diff accounts for 15% to 25% of all episodes of AAD (9). Even when
an outbreak is not occurring, the prevalence of C-diff colonization
in LTC ranges up to 20%, compared with less than 3% in healthy adults
(10-12).
Thankfully he is now back to full health, but when my father-in-law
contracted C-diff on top of what had just happened, we were overwhelmed
with thinking what other measures could have been taken to prevent this
from happening. C-diff is so severe that some patients have passed away
from it. There is a new product that is clinically proven to prevent
C-diff and AAD in hospital residents.
Medical Nutrition, a manufacturer of nutrition-medicine products for
the nutritionally at risk who are under medical supervision, has developed
the product Diff-Stat™ to combat C-diff and AAD. Diff-Stat™
is a unique formula that contains three clinically proven ingredients
to help combat the effects of antibiotics on intestinal microbiota.
It includes two proven probiotics that are heat and acid resistant and
one prebiotic, together creating a synbiotic formulation that promotes
intestinal health and strengthens immunity. Diff-Stat™ is available
in Pineapple/Orange flavored Chewable Tablets (30 tablets/bottle, 6
bottles/case) and Unflavored 2 gram Powder Paks.
In a recent survey, 97% of Residents taking Diff-Stat™ while on
Antibiotics did not develop AAD & 100% did not develop C-diff. The
objective of the survey was to assess the efficacy of a synbiotic chewable
tablet (Diff-Stat) in preventing AAD & C-diff in residents on antibiotic
therapy. Subjects on antibiotic therapy were given 1 chewable tablet
bid within 3 days of starting antibiotics for the duration of antibiotic
therapy and continued for 2 weeks post therapy. Clinicians completed
a questionnaire evaluating the product. The survey provides support
on the potential efficacy of Diff-Stat in helping to prevent AAD and
C-diff in residents taking antibiotics, and demonstrates acceptance,
tolerability, and ease of administration.
For more information, clinical trials, and to order Diff-Stat, visit
CWI Medical at http://www.cwimedical.com.
----
Daniel Dunleavy is the Vice President of Marketing at CWI
Medical, a BBB and ACHC accredited Medical Supply Company located
in Farmingdale, New York. For over 17 years, CWI Medical has been providing
health care solutions with home delivery, product expertise, wellness
advice, and customer care.
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