A fecal transplant can help with this.
Bacteria also helps maintain the normal movement of food and stool through the gut.
The balance, however, is a delicate one.
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When medications interfere, overgrowth can occur.
The result can be devastating to the digestive system.
In most cases, the digestive system bounces back on its own, regrowing the normal flora.
For those, fecal bacteriotherapy is an important treatment option.
Feces are most commonly transplanted as a treatment for severeClostridioides difficilecolitis, commonly known asC.
Infection can occur when the bacterial flora in the large intestine is altered, allowing theC.
difficileto proliferate and produce toxins, which can cause severe and even life-threatening colitis and diarrhea.
The typical treatment for aC.
diffinfection is a 10- to 14-day course of anti-C. difficileantibiotics.Occasionally,C.
difficilecolitis can recur after therapy is complete.
It is for these refractory cases that FMT has attracted the most attention.
It is for use after an individual has completed antibiotic treatment for recurrentC.
Who Is Not a Good Candidate?
Most recipients receive a donation from someone they know after requesting such assistance.
There are stool banks that collect stool for this purpose.
This would theoretically make some people more desirable donors than others.
Autologous restoration of gastrointestinal flora (ARGF)is another technique that is currently being studied.
The sample is stored, and if it is needed, it is filtered and freeze-dried.
Before the Procedure
The evening before the FMT procedure, the donor will take a laxative.
Once prepared, it must be transplanted within six hours.
As the recipient, you must not have taken antibiotics for two weeks prior to the procedure.
double-check to arrange for someone to take you home after the procedure.
Therisksinclude perforating your colon or damaging your rectum, as well as introducing harmful bacteria into your system.
The Transplant Process
FMTs typically take place in an outpatient facility.
The stool can be transplanted in a variety of ways.
The procedure takes around 30 minutes, and you will be given a sedative.
For this procedure, you will be given a sedative.
The stool is then placed into your small intestine.
The procedure lasts approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
Via Capsule
With this method, the stool is encapsulated within three layers of gelatin.
One study found this method’s effectiveness to be comparable to the colonoscopy procedure.
The recommended dosage of Vowst is 4 capsules once daily for 3 days.
Via Feeding Tube
Another method uses afeeding tubeto infuse the stool sample directly into the intestine.
This is typically used for patients who cannot tolerate other methods.
The fecal sample is infused through a nasal tube and placed directly into the intestine.
Fecal transplants are not without very serious risks.
After the Procedure
Fecal transplants are outpatient procedures, and you will go home the same day.
If symptoms recur within four weeks, the procedure is thought to have failed.
difficileovergrowth and the symptoms associated with it.
The success rate is generally lowest with the capsule delivery method and highest with the colonoscopy method.
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Update in:Cochrane Database Syst Rev.
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