Infection prevention in intensive care patients: probiotics compared to antibiotics

Intensive Care (IC) patients are very vulnerable, which makes them susceptible to infections. Infection prevention is therefore a necessity. Potentially pathogenic bacteria in the gastro-intestinal tract are an important source of infections. These can be tackled by administering antibiotics (this is called selective decontamination of the gastro-intestinal tract – SDD) or by probiotics (living micro-organisms with a healthy effect). Both interventions have pros and cons. A direct comparison shows that equivalence of the probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum 299/299v with regard to SDD concerning infection prevention cannot be proven. No increase in mortality risk can be shown with this probiotic.