Death caused by C-Diff?????

Question

My Grandmother was admitted to the hospital about 2 months ago with low sodium levels. She was 95 at the time and I know that low sodium levels in the elderly are common, but while she was in the hospital she contracted C-Diff. She was sent home but then wound up in the hospital again and again. The c-diff just got worse. From what the doctors told us, low sodium levels can shut the body down and the organs start to fail. Her sodium levels never came back up, but I assumed it was because of the C-Diff and the loss of sodium through the loose stools. Am I correct in making that assumption?? I am only asking because my Grandmother died last week and it just seemed so sudden. She went from being independant to death in a little over 2 months. She was never the same after the hospital and contracting the C-Diff. I work in the medical field, but I am not a nurse, but one of the nurses said today that I should look into it because she should have never died?? Now That's all I can think about.

Answer 1

The immune system weakens with age, which makes the elderly particularly susceptible to infections that you or I might not be affected by, or at least not nearly as much.  Elderly people die of pneumonia, whereas you or I take an antibiotic and go back to our life.

C. Diff colitis is a potentially serious infection.  It usually is the result of antibiotics (given to treat other problems) killing off the normal flora of the GI tract, which allows the C. Diff that's colonizing it to overgrow and cause infection.  

People rarely reach your GM's age, and when they do, they usually have multiple medical problems (e.g. kidney failure, heart failure, osteoporosis, diabetes, etc.).  Hospitals are where the worst germs are located.  A hospital is, unfortunately, in some ways the worst place for an elderly person with a frail immune system.  Yet, it's the only place they can really get the treatments they need.

I don't know the circumstances of your GM's death, but she certainly lived a long life, and as I said at the beginning, the elderly (95 certainly qualifies) are particularly susceptible to infection.  That's why hospitals have such regimented protocols for things like C. Diff, MRSA, VRE, etc.  

Sorry for your loss, but I wouldn't fret over the "what ifs".  C. Diff can cause a raging infection, and in a 95 year-old, that can cause other problems and ultimately lead to death, unfortunately.  She wasn't without medical problems if she had hyponatremia (low sodium).  

Again, I'm sorry for your loss.  

Answer 2

C-Diff causes a lot of deaths. It's a toxin that causes diarrhea. She lost a lot of nutrients from having it. They never had time to absorb into her body.

Answer 3

Having diarrhea, I would think that she lost potassium, which is important for heart health.  I would think that it is possible that you might have a lawsuit.  You should talk to a lawyer.

Answer 4

I am SOO sorry or your loss. I understand how you feel my nana passed away 2 years ago and it was VERY upsetting to me since we were so close (I lived with her with my kids while my husband was over seas) I too work in the medical field and although I am not a nurse I do hear alot of talk and I want to say that it probably wasn't the c-diff alone in the cause of her death honey. The fact that she had a low sodium level is a big factor in the reason for her death. And maybe having the C-diff was problamatic for her sodium levels to rise...but I can't see it being the "cause" of her death. Only that it took part because her body was slowly shutting down due to her age.Sweetie as nnicely as I can put this, she was 95. And although she may have been independent and fien prior to this bout of c-diff and other medical complications...she was still 95 and unfortunatly, at that age, the smallest of medical issues to us,are larger than life to them. My nana was 83 and was independent herself and one day out of the clear blue she lost control of her bowel movments and went into a coma, flat lined many times as we brought her back a few times than decided that her time had come and her body just wasn't going to bounce back. Its sad and I for awhile after blamed the hospital because prior to her "sudden" episode, she had had spinal blocks...like 6 cortizone shots and then all of a sudden she was acting weird and within days she fell into the coma...so i do understand why you feel the way you do. But I finally had to come to the realization that her body was tired of trying to fight. It was her time and that was just the way she had gone. I miss her more than anything and wish she never had to go and I reallly feel your pain. But I honestly say that it was just her time. She lived a wonderful life I hope and at 95 she decided her time was up. God bless you and your family.