A Controlled Trial in Intensive Care Units of Selective Decontamination of the Digestive Tract with Nonabsorbable Antibiotics

INFECTIONS acquired in the intensive care unit are a major cause of death in hospitalized patients. Infection is also the main cause of multiple-organ failure, which usually ends in death. 1 , 2 Recent reports have suggested that selective decontamination of the digestive tract can reduce the incidence of nosocomial infections in patients in the intensive care unit. The rationale for this approach is the well-documented observation that colonization of the gastrointestinal tract by gram-negative bacilli frequently occurs before the onset of infection. 3 4 5 Decontamination could also help prevent the failure of multiple organ systems by reducing the bacterial load in the gastrointestinal tract . . .