Stopped: Patients would not take product
All surgical procedures carry with them the risk of infection. Even a minor infection can extend the hospitalization after cardiac surgery. The average minimum increase in length of stay for a single infection is three days. One of the many means used to reduce post-operative infections is the preventative, or "prophylactic", administration of antibiotics just before and just after surgery. Because antibiotics, and for that matter surgery itself, alter the body's natural immune and inflammatory responses and the makeup of the bacteria in the intestine, there is a great deal of scientific interest in using the supplementation of bacteria that naturally reside in the intestine. It is felt that by doing so, the alterations in the immune response may be corrected and the patient better able to fight infections. There are studies using probiotics that have demonstrated a reduction in infection rates in patients undergoing abdominal surgery. Subjects will be patients at high risk for infection including those with any one or more of the following characteristics: over 65 years old, poor heart function (ejection fraction \<40), diabetes (insulin dependant or non-insulin dependant), peripheral vascular disease, kidney dysfunction (creatinine level \>2mg/dl), obesity (body surface area \> 2 m2), low serum protein levels (albumin \< 2.5 mg/dl), infection of the heart valve (endocarditis), or on any antibiotics other than standard prophylaxis before surgery. The safety of these products has been very well established. Patients who consent to enter the study will receive the synbiotic mix, or a placebo, which comes in a powder that may be mixed with a drink, or washed down into the stomach through the NG tube if the patient is still on a ventilator. Dosing will be initiated within four hours of patient arrival in the Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit and will continue on a twice daily basis for the duration of their admission days. Infection and diarrhea data will be monitored.
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AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.
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Generated to help you prepare — always confirm anything about your own eligibility and care with the study team and your doctor.
The trial coordinator is the person who runs the study day to day. These cover the practical side — logistics, costs, and what taking part would actually mean for your life. The study team confirms whether you meet the criteria; these are questions to ask, not a sign you qualify.
A starting point for the conversation — always confirm anything about your own eligibility, costs, and care with the study team and your doctor.
Infection
Timeframe: 3 months