A perspective on the application of pro-/synbiotics in clinical practice

Abstract

Our previous meta-analysis (Wu et al., 2017) evaluated broadly the available evidence and confirmed that pro-/synbiotics supplementation is effective in preventing or controlling the incidence of surgical site infections (SSIs) after a surgical procedure, yet subgroup analyses indicated the primary outcome was influenced by various factors (Figure 1), which might affect the robustness of the conclusion and further confuse the clinical practice. Lack of proper application of pro-/synbiotics is the primary cause of ineffective management. Thus, several issues around the practicalities of pro-/synbiotics should be taken into account.