Can selective digestive decontamination avoid the endotoxemia and cytokine activation promoted by cardiopulmonary bypass?

Abstract

Selective digestive decontamination reduces the gut content of enterobacteria, with complete elimination after 3 days of treatment. This fact could explain the lower endotoxin and cytokine concentrations found in the blood samples of patients who had been fully decontaminated. Duration of aortic cross-clamping is an important factor in generating endotoxemia and in the activation of cytokines.