Suggestions for the prevention of Clostridioides difficile spread within outpatient hemodialysis facilities.

ABSTRACT

Clostridioides difficile infections (CDIs) cause substantial morbidity and mortality. Patients on maintenance hemodialysis are 2 to 2.5 times more likely to develop CDI, with mortality rates 2-fold higher than the general population. Hospitalizations due to CDI among the maintenance hemodialysis population are high, and the frequency of antibiotic exposures and hospitalizations may contribute to CDI risk. In this report, a panel of experts in clinical nephrology, infectious diseases, and infection prevention provide guidance, based on expert opinion and published literature, aimed at preventing the spread of CDI in outpatient hemodialysis facilities.