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Source control and antibiotic stewardship remain cornerstones of sepsis management

Source control and antibiotic stewardship remain cornerstones of sepsis management
Photo by sourmarb / Unsplash
Key Takeaway
Prioritize source control and antibiotic stewardship; avoid live probiotics in high-risk sepsis patients.

This narrative review summarizes current perspectives on sepsis management, focusing on foundational strategies rather than novel interventions. The authors underscore that timely source control and judicious antibiotic use remain critical to improving outcomes in septic patients. They also advise against administering live probiotics to high-risk sepsis patients due to safety concerns.

The review draws on existing literature but does not present pooled effect sizes or systematic comparisons. It reflects expert opinion and clinical consensus rather than quantitative synthesis. The authors do not report specific study populations, sample sizes, or outcomes, limiting the ability to assess the strength of evidence behind each recommendation.

Limitations of the review include its narrative design, which may introduce selection bias, and the absence of a systematic search strategy or risk-of-bias assessment. The authors do not discuss specific gaps in the evidence base or conflicting data.

For clinicians, the review reinforces established sepsis management principles: prioritize source control, adhere to antibiotic stewardship, and avoid live probiotics in immunocompromised or critically ill patients. These recommendations align with current guidelines but should be interpreted as expert opinion rather than high-certainty evidence.

Study Details

Study typeSystematic review
EvidenceLevel 1
PublishedJun 2026
View Original Abstract ↓
BackgroundSepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction with high mortality. Gut microbiota plays a key role in sepsis pathogenesis, but evidence is often mixed.MethodsThis narrative review is based on a structured literature search (PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane; from database inception to March 15, 2025). Findings are stratified into clinical (human), preclinical (animal), and unsafe/unproven categories.ResultsSepsis and gut microbiota form a bidirectional vicious cycle. Sepsis induces dysbiosis via ischemia, inflammation, and broad-spectrum antibiotics – the strongest iatrogenic driver. Dysbiosis in turn amplifies organ dysfunction through gut-brain, gut-lung, gut-liver, gut-kidney, and gut-heart/spleen axes. Clinically, adequate source control and antibiotic de-escalation are mandatory before any microbiota-directed therapy. Microbiota-targeted interventions show promise but carry significant risks: live probiotics are contraindicated in septic shock, severe pancreatitis, and immunocompromised patients (PROPATRIA trial).ConclusionThis evidence-stratified review provides a clinical roadmap: prioritize source control and antibiotic stewardship; avoid live probiotics in high-risk sepsis. Future research requires large RCTs and personalized strategies.
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