Table 1. Characteristics of the study sample by CDI status–potential predictors.
| CDI1 (n = 65) | No CDI2 (n = 2020) | p value3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female, n (%) | 21 (32.2) | 865 (42.8) | .098 |
| Median age (interquartile range) | 61.0 (49.5, 70.0) | 65.0 (53.0, 75.0) | .010 |
| Number of admissions by hospital type (excluding transfers)4 | |||
| All | 1004 | 17477 | |
| Tertiary, n (%) | 801 (79.8) | 10580 (60.5) | |
| Public metropolitan, n (%) | 7 (0.7) | 429 (2.5) | |
| Private metropolitan, n (%) | 133 (13.2) | 4962 (28.4) | |
| Rural, n (%) | 63 (6.3) | 1506 (8.6) | <0.001 |
| Median number of admissions5 prior to first CDI6 (interquartile range) | 5.0 (2.0, 11.5) | 6.0 (3.0, 11.0) | .901 |
| Median inpatient days prior to first CDI (interquartile range) | 29.0 (12.0, 45.5) | 13.0 (5.0, 31.0) | <0.001 |
| Any admission from a long term care facility, n (%) | 1 (1.5) | 32 (1.6) | 1.00 |
| Any ICU7 admissions prior to CDI8, n (%) | 3 (4.6) | 108 (5.3) | 1.00 |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 5 (7.7) | 121 (6.0) | .591 |
| Neutropenia, n (%) | 52 (80.0) | 446 (22.1) | <0.001 |
| Procedures | |||
| Allogeneic bone marrow transplant, n (%) | 3 (4.6) | 32 (1.6) | .093 |
| Autologous stem cell transplant, n (%) | 7 (10.8) | 55 (2.7) | .003 |
| Chemotherapy, n (%) | 58 (89.2) | 1423 (70.5) | .001 |
| Radiation, n (%) | 1 (1.5) | 29 (1.4) | .616 |
1 Patients who had C. difficile infection at least once in the study period
2 Patients who had no episodes of C. difficile infection in the study period
3 Percentages were based on number of admissions in each group
4 Outcome of the test for significance of difference between patients with and without C. difficile infection using a Chi squared test or Fisher’s exact test for categorical variables and Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney for difference in medians.
5 Median number of admissions since study commencement
6 CDI—C. difficile infection
7 ICU—Intensive care unit
8 ICU admissions since study commencement