Main description:

Selective decontamination of the digestive tract (SDD) is an antibiotic strategy which aims to prevent secondary infections in critically ill patients. In this book, intensive care physicians will find the answers to problems they encounter in daily practice concerning infection prevention by the use of SDD. Physicians who have not practiced the strategy so far, and wishing to start it, will find all the information they need for a successful SDD implementation.

Contents:

The History of Selective Decontamination of the Digestive Tract.- The Concept of SDD.- Infections in Critically Ill Patients: Should We Change to a Decontamination Strategy?.- Gut Microbiology: How to Use Surveillance Samples for the Detection of the Carrier Status of Abnormal Flora.- Compounding Medication for Digestive Decontamination: Pharmaceutical Aspects.- Nursing and Practical Aspects in the Application and Implementation of SDD.- The Effects of Hand-Washing, Restrictive Antibiotic Use and SDD on Morbidity.- The Effects of SDD on Mortality.- Antimicrobial Resistance During 20 Years of Clinical SDD Research.- The Costs of SDD.- SDD for the Prevention and Control of Outbreaks.- Preoperative Prophylaxis with SDD in Surgical Patients.- The Role of SDD in Liver Transplantation: a Meta-Analysis.- Do Burn Patients Benefit from Digestive Tract Decontamination?.- How to Design an Antibiotic Strategy That Respects the Indigenous Flora.