Intestinal permeability of infected fracture patients

Objective To assess the intestinal barrier function of the infec te d fracture patients by studying the intestinal permeability. Methods 16 infected fracture patients and 15 healthy volunteers were enrolled. After ingestion of m annitol and lactulose in de-ionized water,a 6-h urine collection was used to analyze mannitol and lactulose concentrations by gas-liquid chromatography. Res ults The lactulose concentration and lactulose/ mannitol (L/M) ratio in the infe cted fracture patients increased and were statistically different from those in the healthy volunteers (P 0.05). Conclusion The intestinal permeability of the infected fracture patients will increase so that the patients may have intestina l barrier dysfunction.