Table 1.
Characteristics of the study population
| Characteristic | LAB group (n = 130) | SDD group (n = 124) | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | |||
| Male (%) | 84 (65) | 73 (59) | 0.35 |
| Age in years | |||
| Mean (SD) | 63.5 (16.4) | 61.9 (16.0) | 0.26 |
| Range | 20–90 | 17–90 | |
| BMI in kg/m2 | |||
| Mean (SD) | 25.5 (4.9) | 25.4 (4.5) | 0.98 |
| Range | 17.3–55.9 | 16.6–47.8 | |
| APACHE II score | |||
| Mean (SD) | 23 (7.7) | 21 (7.6) | 0.11 |
| Range | 7–44 | 7–40 | |
| Days in hospital | |||
| Mean (SD) | 36.7 (33.9) | 38.5 (33.5) | 0.35 |
| Range | 2–193 | 1–227 | |
| Days in ICU | |||
| Mean (SD) | 18.0 (24.8) | 15.0 (17.8) | 0.78 |
| Range | 1–155 | 1–105 | |
| Reason for ICU admission (%) | |||
| Respiratory insufficiency | 46 (35.4) | 39 (31.5) | |
| Neurological | 31 (23.8) | 36 (29.0) | |
| Hemodynamic | 13 (10.0) | 9 (7.3) | 0.68 |
| Sepsis/shock | 17 (13.1) | 21 (16.9) | |
| Peritonitis | 9 (6.9) | 5 (4.0) | |
| Trauma/othera | 14 (10.8) | 14 (11.3) | |
| Admission group (%) | |||
| Surgical | 64 (49.2) | 69 (55.6) | |
| Medical | 62 (47.7) | 50 (40.3) | 0.49 |
| Trauma | 4 (3.1) | 5 (4.0) | |
| Patients on MV (%) | 129 (99.2) | 119 (96.0) | 0.09 |
| Days on MV | |||
| Mean (SD) | 16.7 (23.6) | 14.1 (17.2) | 0.60 |
| Range | 2–152 | 1–100 | |
| Number of days with administration of study productb | |||
| Mean (SD) | 11.0 (14.3) | 10.5 (13.8) | 0.87 |
| Range | 0–73 | 0–94.25 | |
| Cumulative gastric retention in milliliters | |||
| Mean (SD) | 3,002 (6,368) | 2,264 (3,713) | 0.74 |
| Range | 0–53,670 | 0–23,885 | |
LAB L. plantarum 299/299v plus fibre; SDD selective decontamination of the digestive tract; BMI body mass index; APACHE acute physiology and chronic health evaluation; ICU intensive care unit; MV mechanical ventilation
aIncluding acidosis, bowel ischemia, meningitis, renal insufficiency, weaning problems, Guillain-Barré syndrome, retroperitoneal haematoma, pancreatitis, encephalopathy, necrotising fasciïtis, pelvic exenteration, traumatic spinal cord injury
bIn LAB group two times daily, in SDD group four times daily