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Diarrhea & Constipation

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Abstract

Diarrhea is a common problem in the ICU [1]. Diarrhea is best defined as ≥3 loose stools per day [2, 3]. The incidence of diarrhea in the ICU varies widely according to the definition used [1]. However, approximately 20–30 % of ICU patients will develop clinically relevant diarrhea [4, 5]. In the ICU diarrhea is best classified as infectious or non-infectious, due to different therapeutic approaches. Multiple risk factors contribute to the causation of both infections and non-infectious diarrhea.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, USA

    Paul Ellis Marik

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© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Marik, P.E. (2015). Diarrhea & Constipation. In: Evidence-Based Critical Care. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-11020-2_37

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-11020-2_37

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-11019-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-11020-2

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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