C-Diff FMT

St. Luke’s Digestive Disease and Liver Center successfully offers several treatment options for patients with clostridium difficile infection (CDI or C-Diff), a serious infection that causes symptoms ranging from diarrhea to life-threatening inflammation of the colon.

Fecal Microbotic Transplant (FMT) C-Diff treatments include an alternative and highly effective procedure called Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT), a relatively inexpensive procedure that replaces killed or suppressed bacteria in the gut.

The procedure, which has a 90 percent cure rate, offers hope to individuals who suffer with severe cases of CDI that cause recurrent and debilitating diarrhea. Weight loss resulting from the diarrhea can cause weakness and even death, in extreme cases, especially for the elderly who take antibiotics.

During FMT, the patient suffering from CDI receives stool containing beneficial intestinal microbiota from a carefully screened. After the stool is placed in the patient’s gastrointestinal tract, the transplanted fecal matter delivers microbiota necessary for the gut to function properly.

Patients prepare for FMT as they would for any colonoscopy. Before the procedure they are sedated and bed rest is encouraged for the remainder of the day. The majority of patients get results in three to five days.

For more information or to schedule an appointment with a physician who performs FMT, call St. Luke’s InfoLink at 1-866-STLUKES (785-8537).