Fecal Transplant



Apparently, fecal transplants are a medical breakthrough in the treatment of Clostridium difficile infections of the intestinal tract. Donor feces is inserted into the patient's stomach via a tube in the nose (nasogastric tube).

Donated and infused stool contains healthy bacteria which cures the C. diff. infection. It's an infrequently performed procedure currently, but it has been successful and is gaining acceptance.

According to Dr. Tim Rubin of the Duluth Clinic Digestive Health Center,

He and his senior colleagues are the only crew in the country who regularly perform the rare, but growing procedure, variously known as fecal transplant, stool transplant and fecal infusion.

Since 2002, they’ve performed 64 poop transfers on patients with two or more incurable bouts of C. diff. It’s a technique first documented in the early 1990s by researchers in Norway investigating the best way to treat C. diff infection, which typically occurs when the normal flora in the gut is disturbed, most often by antibiotic use.

The procedure entails gathering a donated stool, filtering the stool to remove corn and other solid matter, blending for proper consistency and injecting several teaspoons into the nasogastric tube.

One patient reacted positively by remarking, "All I felt was coolness."