TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Gastrointestinal Infections and Clostridium Difficile A1 - Galaydick, Jodi A1 - Weber, Stephen G. A2 - Hall, Jesse B. A2 - Schmidt, Gregory A. A2 - Kress, John P. PY - 2015 T2 - Principles of Critical Care, 4e AB - In addition to immunologic mechanisms, physical (motility), chemical (gastric acidity), and microbiologic (normal colonizing flora) factors normally protect the gastrointestinal tract against infection.Esophagitis, most commonly caused by Candida albicans or herpes simplex virus, may be underrecognized among patients in the intensive care unit.Infection with Helicobacter pylori may play a role in the pathogenesis of gastric stress ulceration among critically ill patients.The epidemiology and microbiology of diarrheal illness is significantly different among patients in the critical care unit than is observed in the community setting. Most infectious diarrhea is hospital acquired and is usually attributable to Clostridium difficile.A systematic approach to the critically ill patient with diarrhea includes consideration of pathogens that cause noninflammatory, inflammatory, and hemorrhagic diarrhea. Thorough history taking supplements laboratory data in the diagnosis of these patients.C difficile infection is the single most common cause of gastrointestinal infection among patients in the intensive care unit. The spectrum of disease induced by C difficile infection is broad. Timely diagnosis and treatment is critical both for the management of the infected patient and to prevent the spread of infection through the unit. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/28 UR - accesssurgery.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1107721314 ER -