ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effect of Compound Tongtu Granule (CTG) on intestinal permeability in elderly sepsis patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eighty elderly sepsis patients were randomly assigned to the experimental group and the control group by randomized double blinded method, 40 in each group. On the basis of conventional antiseptic treatment program, patients in the experimental group took CTG, while those in the control group took placebos. The dosage for CTG or placebos was 14.3 g each package, one package each time, twice daily for 14 successive days. Patients' abdominal symptoms and signs, levels of serum inflammatory factors (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and procalcitonin), levels of plasma endotoxin, and the intestinal permeability (IP, represented by urinary lactulose/mannitol excretion rate) were compared between the two groups before and after treatment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After 14-day treatment, patients in the experimental group had improved abdominal symptoms, increased frequency of defecation, significantly decreased levels of plasma endotoxin and IP, when compared with the control group (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>CTG could improve the intestinal barrier function in elderly sepsis patients.</p>