Effectiveness of Perioperative Symbiotic Therapy to Reduce Infectious Morbidity in Jaundiced Patients: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Despite advances in preoperative patient's selection and anesthetic and surgical techniques, surgery in jaundiced patients is associated with significant morbidity and mortality as a consequence of septic complications. The evidence that nosocomial infections are frequently a consequence of gut-derived organism such as enterobacteriaceae, supports the hypothesis of the "gut derived sepsis". Indeed, several studies have reported that jaundiced patients present an increased intestinal permeability and consequently a higher rate of bacterial migration from gastrointestinal tract across the lamina propria to local mesenteric lymph nodes and from there to extra-intestinal site. This phenomenon increases after surgical decompression of bile duct. The higher prevalence of bacterial translocation in jaundiced patients is related to different mechanisms such as mucosal atrophy secondary to protracted absence of intraluminal bile that open para-cellular route for bacterial translocation and the decreased clearance capacity of Kuppfer secondary to cholestasis.

The mechanisms of action of symbiotics are largely unknown. The probiotic bacteria can improve the mucosal barrier function reducing the bacterial translocation of organism to mesenteric lymph nodes. Indeed symbiotic can affect the intestinal ecosystem by stimulating mucosal immune and non-immune mechanisms through antagonism/competition with potential pathogens.