SynthesisNutrients2022
Probiotics for the Prevention of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials.
Synthesis in Nutrients, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 45 citations in OpenAlex.
- Role of probiotic supplementation in preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia among critically ill patients-a critical umbrella review of meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Pooled it
- Prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia with probiotics: an overview of systematic reviews.Frontiers in microbiology · 2024Pooled it
- Probiotics for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19: a rapid systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in nutrition · 2023Pooled it
- Safety and efficacy of probiotic supplements as adjunctive therapies in patients with COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2023Pooled it
- Effect of probiotic colonization on oral hygiene and ventilator-associated pneumonia in ICU patients: a triple-blind randomized controlled trial.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Gut microbiota-immune-metabolic crosstalk in acute lung injury: integrating the gut-lung axis from mechanism to therapeutic targeting.Seminars in immunopathology · 2026Review
- Coenrollment of critically ill patients in PROSPECT: A protocol and statistical analysis plan.PloS one · 2026Article
- Oral microbiota and respiratory diseases: advances and perspectives.Clinical microbiology reviews · 2025Review
- The Potential of Probiotics in Reducing Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia: A Literature-Based Analysis.Microorganisms · 2025Review
- Advancements in alternative approaches to address antimicrobial resistance in bacterial pneumonia: a comprehensive review.Frontiers in microbiology · 2025Review
- ICU-acquired infections in immunocompromised patients.Intensive care medicine · 2024Review
- Safety, feasibility, and impact on the gut microbiome of kefir administration in critically ill adults.BMC medicine · 2024Article
- The human gut microbiome in critical illness: disruptions, consequences, and therapeutic frontiers.Journal of critical care · 2024Review
- Microbiota modifications in prehabilitation - the next step towards comprehensive preparation for surgery. The scoping review.Przeglad gastroenterologiczny · 2024Review
- Comprehensive airway management of ventilator-associated pneumonia in ICU populations.American journal of translational research · 2024Article
- Optimal Concentration and Duration of Endotracheal Tube Coating to Achieve Optimal Antimicrobial Efficacy and Safety Balance: An In Vitro Study.Gels (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- [Immunomodulation by nutritional intervention in critically ill patients].Die Anaesthesiologie · 2023Review
- Optimization of Therapy and the Risk of Probiotic Use during Antibiotherapy in Septic Critically Ill Patients: A Narrative Review.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2023Review
- The central role of the gut in intensive care.Critical care (London, England) · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPresently, there is conflicting evidence regarding the efficacy of probiotics in the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). This meta-analysis was conducted to update current clinical evidence and evaluate the efficacy and safety of probiotics for the prevention of VAP.
methodsWe searched three databases and two trial registers to retrieve randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing probiotics or synbiotics with placebo or standard treatment for the prevention of VAP in adult patients receiving mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit (ICU).
resultsOur meta-analysis included 18 RCTs involving 4893 patients. Our results showed that probiotics may reduce the incidence of VAP (RR 0.68, 95% CI: 0.55-0.84; low certainty). However, in our subgroup and sensitivity analyses, the effect was not significant in double-blind studies, and in studies with a low risk of bias in the randomisation process. Probiotics reduced the length of ICU stay (MD -2.22 days, 95% CI: -4.17 to -0.28; moderate certainty) and the duration of antibiotic use (MD -1.25 days, 95% CI -1.86 to -0.64; moderate certainty).
conclusionsProbiotics may reduce the incidence of VAP but due to the low quality of pooled evidence, the use of probiotics warrants caution. Further, large-scale, high-quality RCTs need to be conducted to provide conclusive evidence.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.