When her frequent bathroom visits became a real pain in the rear, patient Donna Smith (not pictured) turned to a unique solution to restore her health.
Taking a bold step, the 60-year-old received a life-changing Faecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT) or 'poo transplant', becoming the first patient in Metro South Health to undergo this procedure.
Logan Hospital Gastroenterologist Dr Asif Shahzad said he prescribed the groundbreaking procedure after other methods failed to ease Donna’s debilitating symptoms, caused by a recurrent infection called Clostridioides Difficile.
“I am proud to say Donna reported an almost instant improvement of her symptoms and said her diarrhoea hasn’t come back since the day of the transplant late last year,” Dr Shahzad said.
Australia became the first country in the world to give regulatory approval for faecal transplants in 2022 and since then, thousands are said to have benefited from the procedure.
The procedure is gaining popularity among Metro South Health doctors, with Princess Alexandra Hospital also performing a FMT last month.
Dr Shahzad explained the procedure as quick, safe and painless.
“A thin device called a ‘colonoscope’ is inserted into the patient’s bowel via their bottom, before the microbiota or healthy donor poo is transplanted. Within a short period of time, the gut health is restored,” he said.
Dr Shahzad said he was excited for the future of the field, particularly the work being done around treating Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).
Advancements in faecal transplant research could truly flush out new possibilities in gastroenterology.