Clinician views on selective decontamination of the digestive tract in mechanically ventilated patients in intensive care units: A survey

Abstract

Objective: Selective decontamination of the digestive tract (SDD) has been investigated as a strategy to reduce the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and other healthcare-associated infections in intensive care unit (ICU) patients receiving mechanical ventilation. There is some evidence to suggest that the use of SDD is associated with a reduction in healthcare-associated infection and mortality; however, the uptake of SDD in ICUs in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) remains low. To better understand the potential reasons, we designed a questionnaire to gather views from specialists in intensive care medicine, infectious diseases, and medical microbiology. Design: The study in..