Selective decontamination of the digestive tract in critical care: A teenage angst or coming of age issue?

Abstract

Selective decontamination of the digestive tract (SDD) has been with us since the early days of our specialty, and in some ways it marks our progression and maturation. How we have dealt with SDD to date ranges from "thorn in our side" to "elephant in the room". With high quality multi-national studies underway, how we deal with these results will mark our final maturation to adulthood as a specialty.