Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection, representing one of the leading causes of death in intensive care units (ICUs) worldwide. Gut microbiota disruption is increasingly recognized as a key driver of persistent inflammation and multiple organ dysfunction in septic patients. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has emerged as a promising approach to restore gut microbial homeostasis. This study hypothesizes that FMT acts not through long-term engraftment of donor microbes, but via a "functional pulse" - a potent, transient biological intervention that delivers high-dose microbial metabolites (e.g., short-chain fatty acids), competitively inhibits pathogens, and rapidly modulates intestinal immune cell functions.
This is a single-center, open-label, randomized controlled trial conducted in the ICU of Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. A total of 60 adult patients diagnosed with sepsis according to Sepsis-3 criteria within 24 hours of ICU admission will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either ICU standard care alone (control group) or ICU standard care plus FMT administered via a nasojejunal tube for three consecutive days (intervention group). The primary endpoint is all-cause mortality at 90 days. Secondary endpoints include ICU mortality, in-hospital mortality, 28-day mortality, changes in gut microbiota composition and metabolites, serum citrulline levels as a marker of intestinal barrier function, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) scores, vasopressor requirements, C-reactive protein and procalcitonin levels, fluid balance, incidence of ICU delirium and feeding intolerance, and 90-day hospital readmission rate. Safety outcomes include gastrointestinal symptoms and transient fever.
Age ≥ 18 years, any ethnicity, any gender.
Diagnosis of sepsis according to the Sepsis-3 criteria (infection with an acute change in SOFA score ≥ 2 points).
Signed written informed consent.
Patients whom the attending clinician considers to have a high risk of death within 5 days, or patients with treatment limitations in place.
Active major gastrointestinal bleeding, perforation, or other severe impairment of the intestinal barrier.
Patients unable to tolerate enteral nutrition meeting ≥50% of caloric requirements due to severe diarrhea, significant fibrotic intestinal stricture, severe gastrointestinal bleeding, or high-output intestinal fistula.
Planned or recent abdominal surgery (within 14 days).
Parallel
Gut microbiota suspension
Other interventionFMT is a biologic intervention that involves the transfer of functional microbiota from the feces of healthy screened donors into the recipient's intestinal tract to restore gut microbial diversity and ecological stability. The FMT product is prepared from 100-150 g of adolescent donor feces, processed into 300 mL of fecal microbiota suspension, with each 50-100 mL. Patients in the intervention group receive FMT via nasojejunal tube on 3 consecutive days, with 50 mL of fecal microbiota suspension administered daily between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM. Patients are fasting for at least 2 hours before FMT and remain fasting for 2 hours after each administration. The intervention is administered in addition to standard ICU care.
All-Cause Mortality at 90 Days
Proportion of participants who die from any cause within 90 days following enrollment.
ICU Mortality
Proportion of participants who die from any cause during their stay in the intensive care unit (ICU).
In-Hospital Mortality
Proportion of participants who die from any cause during the index hospitalization.
28-Day All-Cause Mortality
Proportion of participants who die from any cause within 28 days after enrollment.
Change in Gut Microbiota Composition
Changes in gut microbial community structure assessed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing of fecal samples or rectal swabs, including: (1) alpha diversity (within-sample richness and evenness), (2) beta diversity (between-sample dissimilarity), and (3) alterations in relative abundance of key bacterial taxa at phylum and genus levels.
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