Respiratory failure & ventilation
Diarrhea in Mechanically Ventilated Patients: A Nested Multicenter Substudy
Authors' conclusion
Diarrhea is common among invasively ventilated patients. Risk factors include a history of C. difficile, use of antibiotics, laxatives, and enteral nutrition, particularly moderate-high-protein composition feeds.
Study context
- Population
- Invasively ventilated critically ill ICU patients, 44 ICUs in Canada, the US and Saudi Arabia
- Participants
- 2,650 participants
Methodological detailspreplanned, prospective, multicentre
- Preplanned
- Prospective
- Multicentre
Primary result
As reported in the abstract
Diarrhea
Patients with diarrhea
60.4%
ICU study days with diarrhea
18.2%
Further findings
Risk factors for diarrhea
- Independent risk factors: history of Clostridioides difficile infection, laxatives, antibiotic use
- Adjusted for these, enteral nutrition, particularly moderate-high-protein content, also increased risk
Processes of care and LOS (univariable)
- Diarrhea associated with C. difficile testing, fecal management device insertion, and increased ICU and hospital LOS
- Univariable analysis
ICU death
- Diarrhea not associated with an increased risk of death
- Adjusted for illness severity, mechanical ventilation, inotropes/vasopressors, RRT, severe infections
Parts of this Brief are withheld: the automatic checks could not confirm them against the abstract.
Original publication
Diarrhea in Mechanically Ventilated Patients: A Nested Multicenter Substudy. Crit Care Med. Published 3 April 2025. doi:10.
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