Chlorhexidine Bathing Effect on Clostridium Difficile Rates

Clostridium difficile (C. diff.) infections, whether nosocomial or community borne, may
present with profound diarrhea, especially in those patients receiving antibiotics. Based on
a preliminary review of hospital data, the investigators have found that these symptomatic
c. diff infections occur with a relatively high incidence at Delnor Hospital.
Notwithstanding their high mortality, one recent study attributes a near quadrupling of
hospitalization costs to c. diff infections. Chlorhexidine baths have been shown in multiple
randomized trials to help reduce the incidence of highly virulent pathogens and hospital
acquired infections. Further, several studies show a favorable effect of reducing the
incidence of c. diff infections by using Chlorhexidine baths on ICU patients. Far fewer
studies, however, have focused on the effects of these baths on general medical/surgical
wards. This investigation seeks to study the effect of the daily use of 2% Chlorhexidine
gluconate wipes in patients on the general medical/surgical wards who are exposed to
antibiotics for a suspected or confirmed infection.