Selective intestinal decontamination of the digestive tract for infection prophylaxis in severely burned patients.

An oral prophylactic antibiotic regimen aiming at suppression of the gram-negative rods and yeasts of the bowel flora was utilised in 48 severely burned patients to prevent burn wound colonisation. Only 17% of the patients had an actual or potential infection. Only one Pseudomonas infection occurred. The effect of this selective gastro-intestinal decontamination is discussed.