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Probiotic Agents in Critically Ill Patients

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Diet and Nutrition in Critical Care

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Abstract

Probiotics are living organisms which, when ingested in sufficient quantities, confer health benefits upon their host. In this era of increasing antimicrobial resistance, early probiotic studies describing reduced rates of nosocomial infections garnered significant interest, particularly from clinical investigators studying intensive care unit outcomes. Although our current knowledge base is fragmented and limited by various methodologic issues, meta-analysis has been a powerful tool to combine studies and more rigorously assess probiotics’ efficacy in various disease states. The resulting reports suggest that probiotics may reduce overall infection rates – including ventilator-associated pneumonia and Clostridium difficile infections – in critically ill patients. However, definitive conclusions remain elusive, and rigorous multicenter trials are needed to confirm or refute the findings of these meta-analyses.

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Abbreviations

AAD:

Antibiotic-associated diarrhea

AHRQ:

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

CDI:

Clostridium difficile infection

CNS:

Central nervous system

GI:

Gastrointestinal

ICU:

Intensive care unit

MeSH:

Medical subject headings

RR:

Risk ratio

VAP:

Ventilator-associated pneumonia

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nebraska–Western Iowa Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 601 North 30th Street, Suite #3820, Omaha, NE, 68131, USA

    Lee E. Morrow

  2. School of Medicine, Creighton University Medical Center, 601 North 30th Street, Suite #3820, Omaha, NE, 68131, USA

    Lee E. Morrow & Albert Naveed

  3. Pharmacy Practice and Medicine, School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, Creighton University, 601 North 30th Street, Suite #3820, Omaha, NE, 68131, USA

    Lee E. Morrow & Mark A. Malesker

  4. Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, School of Medicine, School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, Creighton University, 601 North 30th Street, Suite #3820, Omaha, NE, 68131, USA

    Lee E. Morrow

Authors
  1. Lee E. Morrow
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  2. Albert Naveed
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  3. Mark A. Malesker
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lee E. Morrow .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Royal Free London Hospitals, Barnet General Hospital, London, UK

    Rajkumar Rajendram

  2. Division of Diabetes & Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King’s College London, London, UK

    Rajkumar Rajendram

  3. King Khalid University Hospital, King Saud University Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Rajkumar Rajendram

  4. Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Division of Diabetes & Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King’s College London, London, UK

    Victor R. Preedy

  5. Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Science & Technology, University of Westminster, London, UK

    Vinood B. Patel

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Morrow, L.E., Naveed, A., Malesker, M.A. (2015). Probiotic Agents in Critically Ill Patients. In: Rajendram, R., Preedy, V.R., Patel, V.B. (eds) Diet and Nutrition in Critical Care. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7836-2_130

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7836-2_130

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-7837-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-7836-2

  • eBook Packages: MedicineReference Module Medicine

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