Systemic Absorption of Oral and Rectal Vancomycin in a Critically Ill Patient: A Case Report

Enteral administration of vancomycin is the standard treatment for <i>Clostridioides difficile</i> (<i>Clostridium difficile</i>) colitis and is presumed to have no systemic absorption. In critically ill patients, however, especially with multi-organ failure, enteral absorption of vancomycin is unpredictable and can cause severe toxicity if it remains unrecognized. We therefore report a case of systemic absorption of enteric vancomycin in a patient with severe <i>C. difficile</i> colitis.