Therapeutic effect of early enteral nutrition with bifidobacterium supplement on acute pancreatitis

Objective To determine whether bifidobacterium could prevent colonization of the gut by potential pathogens and thus reduce endotoxaemia associated with severe acute pancreatitis. Methods Patients with severe acute pancreatitis were randomized into two groups. The treatment group received bifidobacterium for 1 week via a nasojejunal tube. The control group received a similar preparation but bifidobacterium was inactivated by heat. Results A total of 40 patients completed the study. Twenty patients received treatment with live and 20 with heat-killed bifidobacterium. Infected pancreatic necrosis and abscess occurred in two of 20 patients in the treatment group, compared with eight of 20 in the control group (P 0.05). The mean length of hospital stay was 25.4 days in the treatment group versus 32.4 days in the control group (P 0.05). Conclusions Supplementary bifidobacterium was effective in reducing pancreatic sepsis and the number of surgical interventions.