GUT MICROBIOTA IN CARDIO-SURGICAL INTENSIVE CARE PATIENTS

The important role of the intestinal microbiota on human physiology is increasingly recognised. So far, few studies concerning intensive care (ICU) patients have been published, that generally studied the composition of faecal microbiota after acute admission, using healthy subjects as controls. We performed this prospective, observational, longitudinal study, aimed to analyse the dynamics of intestinal microbiota of planned cardiac surgery patients; we analysed samples before, during and after hospital stay with the patients serving as their own control.