M Hickson

Dr M Hickson, Charing Cross Hospital, London, UK; mary.hickson@imperial.nhs.uk

METHODS

Study design:

randomised placebo-controlled trial.

Allocation:

concealed.*

Blinding:

blinded (patients, {healthcare providers, data collectors, outcome assessors, and data analysts, and data safety and monitoring committee}†).*

STUDY QUESTION

Setting:

3 hospitals in London, UK.

Patients:

135 patients >50 years of age (mean age 74 y, 54% women) who were receiving antibiotics (single or multiple, oral or intravenous) and were able to take food and drinks. Exclusion criteria included diarrhoea on admission or recurrent diarrhoea; bowel pathology that could cause diarrhoea; intake of high-risk antibiotics (ie, clindamycin, cephalosporins, or aminopenicillins) or >2 courses of other antibiotics in the past 4 weeks; severe life-threatening illness; immunosuppression; bowel surgery; artificial heart valve; history of rheumatic heart disease or infective …