A novel synbiotic therapy dramatically improved the intestinal function of a pediatric patient with laryngotracheo-esophageal cleft (LTEC) in the intensive care unit.

To demonstrate the beneficial effects of synbiotic therapy (combined use of probiotics and prebiotics) in critically ill patients, we designed a new protocol for such therapy. Three agents were used as synbiotics: Bifidobacterium breve, Lactobacillus casei, and galactooligosaccharides. More than 1 x 10(9) of probiotic bacteria were contained in each 1.0 g pack. We administered 3.0 g per day of each agent to the patient.A critically ill 9-month-old girl with laryngotracho-esophageal cleft (type IV) was treated by our new synbiotic therapy. Abundant amounts of synbiotic bacteria were detected in the feces which suggests that these administered bacteria affected intestinal function in situ. Bowel movements resumed soon after the commencement of synbiotic therapy and considerable amounts of short chain fatty acids were detected in the feces. Growth of the patient was satisfactory under this treatment. Our new synbiotic therapy had a beneficial effect to improve intestinal function. We recommend synbiotic therapy for critically ill patients in intensive care units as an important immunonutritional therapy.