New Procedure For Acid Reflux Or GERD Is Now Offered By Surgeons
by Train Crossroad on 30/06/10 at 9:49 pm
New Procedure For Acid Reflux Or GERD Is Now Offered By Surgeons – In BMC (or Boston Medical Center), their surgeons are now offering a new alternative for their patients a treatment, an incisionless procedure, for Acid Reflux or GERD and laparoscopic. The new procedure Esophyx TIF (Transoral Incisionless Fundaplication), surgeons can now reconstruct the valve between the esophagus and stomach stopping GERD. BMC is the only hospital in New England who is offering this new procedure.
GERD is also known as chronic heartburn, is a reflux and regurgitating of food from the stomach to the esophagus. This happens frequently thus giving a severe damage to the esophagus. There are more than 60 million Americans experiencing symptoms in a month and over 14 million who have GERD and constantly having to experience the symptoms.
Normally when we swallow food, the valve between the esophagus and stomach opens to allow the food to travel in to the stomach. Then this valve closes to prevent the food from being vomited out. When someone has GERD, this valve is weak or absent, allowing the acidic digestive juices to reflux in to the esophagus. By using the EsophyX, the surgeons are able to use surgical instruments along with an endoscope through the mouth of the patient and reconstructing or repairing the valve with no incisions.
“Compare to laparoscopic or traditional surgery, patients treated via the endoscope have required less anesthesia and experienced less complication rates, shorter hospital stays and faster recovery, reduced patient discomfort, and no need for incisions.” Says Miguel Burch MD, Co-director of Esophageal and Acid Reflux Disorders, Center for digestive Disorders at BMC. “Patients are typically able to return home and to normal activities the day following the procedure.”
GERD complications are very well documented and have an important impact on the quality of life, in more extreme cases, life anticipation. Esophagitis can lead to a chronic condition and if the damage is already worst it can form esophageal ulcer. If it remains untreated, this can progress to esophageal cancer.
“While over-the-counter medications may alleviate the symptoms, by decreasing production of stomach acid, they don’t solve the anatomical problem and reflux (without acid) can still continue causing injury but without symptoms to warn the patient,” said Hiran Fernando, MD, a cardiothoracic surgeon and director of minimally invasive thoracic surgery at BMC whom Miguel Burch performs the procedure with. “For patients who are dissatisfied with pharmaceutical therapies and are concerned about the long-term effects of over-the counter medications, this procedure may be the answer.”
BMC surgeons say that anatomical correction is the key to the prevention of GERD and disease progression. But unfortunately, even laparoscopic surgical repair can be invasive and might be the cause of gas bloat and having difficulties to swallow. Less than one percent of GERD patients currently choose the traditional surgery to cure their GERD.
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