Bedside Prediction of Clostridium difficile Colitis

Letters15 June 1997Bedside Prediction of Clostridium difficile ColitisDavid E. Langdon, MDDavid E. Langdon, MDArlington, TX 76015Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-126-12-199706150-00027 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:The John Hopkins group's paper on diagnosing Clostridium difficile colitis [1], several letters to the editor and the Hopkins researchers' reply [2], and Dr. Surawicz's commentary in another journal [3] all discuss clinical associations, laboratory diagnostics, and options. Surprisingly, none mentions that diagnosing this condition is one of the few remaining roles for the highly portable old proctoscope! In these sick patients, if laboratory results are delayed or negative, then, with super suction ready and using left lateral decubitus position (the patient usually in the hospital room and in bed) one can, within a few comfortable inches, ...References1. Manabe YC, Vinetz JM, Moore RD, Merz C, Charache P, Bartlett JG. Clostridium difficile colitis: an efficient clinical approach to diagnosis. Ann Intern Med. 1995; 123:835-40. Google Scholar2. Vinetz JM, Manabe Y, Bartlett JG. Diagnosis of Clostridium difficile colitis [Letter]. Ann Intern Med. 1996; 125:516. Google Scholar3. Surawicz CM. World literature review. Am J Gastroenterol. 1996; 91:1662-3. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: David E. Langdon, MDAffiliations: Arlington, TX 76015 PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 15 June 1997Volume 126, Issue 12Page: 1004KeywordsC difficile colitisClinical laboratoriesColitisDiagnostic techniquesEndoscopyRectumResearch laboratories ePublished: 15 August 2000 Issue Published: 15 June 1997 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 1997 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...