TAMPA, Fla., — AdventHealth Zephyrhills is leading the way in Pasco County with a new treatment for clostridioides difficile or C. diff. Clostridioides difficile is recognized as an urgent threat of the highest level by the CDC and it can cause life-threatening diarrhea. The CDC estimates it causes almost half a million infections in the U.S. each year and about 29,000 patients died within 30 days of the initial diagnosis. One in six patients will get the infection again in the following weeks.
To combat that threat, AdventHealth Zephyrhills is administering REBYOTA an FDA-approved microbiome-based therapy designed to prevent C. diff infections from recurring. It’s administered following the use of antibiotics and is made up of a consistent mix of important bacteria. It’s one dose, delivered in minutes to your gut microbiome and does not require any prep, fasting, anesthesia, or colonoscopy.
Gastroenterologists, Dr. Thomas John and Dr. Maher Salam at AdventHealth Zephyrhills have already successfully treated 10 patients with this therapy.
“I've seen firsthand how devastating recurrent C. difficile infections can be for patients. This FDA-approved microbiome-based therapy is a critical tool in breaking that cycle and restoring the gut microbiome to where it should be,” said Dr. Ryan Reed, chief medical officer for AdventHealth Zephyrhills and AdventHealth Dade City. “This treatment truly helps prevent recurrence and gets our patients back to doing what they love.”
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