Abstract
Bacterial translocation (BT) has recently gained attention as an important factor in the onset and deterioration of multiple organ failure (MOF). The morbidity of clinically identified BT in MOF patients was 10.5%, and the survival rate of MOF patients with BT was significantly lower than in MOF patients without BT in our study. Although an early clinical diagnosis of BT is difficult to achieve, the ratio of the interleukin-6 (IL-6) level in the pulmonary arterial blood and the arterial blood (PA/A) as measured using a rapid chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay (CLEIA) system could be a new diagnostic tool for the early diagnosis of BT. Selective digestive decontamination (SDD) has been widely applied and evaluated as a countermeasure against BT. We performed SDD and early enteral nutrition (EN) in patients with MOF. SDD and EN reduced the infection rate after ICU admission and improved the survival rate of MOF patients with infections complications. Since BT plays an important role in the pathophysiology of MOF, early diagnosis and the early application of SDD and EN are important for the management of patients with a high risk of BT.
