The National Geriatric Hospital treated 31 cases of diarrhea caused by the bacterium Clostridium Diffícile with feces dissolved in physiological. The patients participated in a study that was presented in Thailand.
The treatment showed an effectiveness of 90% in a first and second infusion, which is introduced into the body through two routes: nasogastric tube (tube that is inserted through the nose) and retention enema (mechanism to introduce fluids through the rectum).
Professionals of that medical center presented the results in the 9th Global Scientific Conference, where they explained that the maximum amount that is transplanted is 250 milliliters and the results obtained with this treatment are similar to those revealed in other studies carried out in other countries of the world. The study in this country was called: “Response of the treatment of Clostridium diffícile with infusion of fecal microbiota in patients of a Geriatric Hospital in Costa Rica during the years 2015 and 2016”.
Diana Paniagua, a nurse trained in epidemiology and who explained the results, said the investigation began in 2014, after an outbreak of Clostridium Diffícile that was detected in that health facility, which was persistent and did not yield to the treatment. Faced with this situation, national scientific evidence was sought at the San Juan de Dios Hospital (HSJD), which had already taken steps in that direction and in the international scientific literature.
Paniagua explained that the boarding protocol was elaborated and proceeded with the treatment, whose results were obtained, in some cases, only a few hours after the infusion was applied and in other cases up to eight days later.
The people treated had been infected during 2015 and 2016. The feces were taken from family members, friends or neighbors of the patients who were healthy and after various tests and strains were mixed with physiological saline solution to introduce them into the affected patient, this procedure can continue for about 30 minutes. The aim of the treatment was for the patient to recover the bacterial flora of the stomach, which had been eliminated by Clostridium Diffícile.
Clostridium Diffícile is a bacterium that infects the intestine, causing symptoms ranging from mild diarrhea to severe inflammation of the colon or large intestine. This infection usually occurs during or after a patient has been treated with antibiotics for a long time.
According to Costa Rican specialists in viral diseases, epidemiology and nursing, the risk of contracting the infection is greater in patients over 65 years old, who are hospitalized and who are carriers of some very complex diseases such as: infections, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension among others.