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Surgery may be right for your acid reflux

If you’re among the 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. who have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), you know how uncomfortable the symptoms can be. Chronic acid reflux can cause painful heartburn, regurgitation, a constant bitter taste in the mouth and even difficulties swallowing.

Left untreated or unmanaged, it can progress to more serious conditions. GERD is a chronic digestive disorder, caused by a defective barrier between the stomach and esophagus — due to a hernia or from having a weak valve — that allows stomach contents to move up into the esophagus.

The first line of treatment for GERD may include over-the-counter antacids as needed and lifestyle changes, such as not lying down for at least two hours after eating, losing weight and wearing nonrestrictive clothing.

Doctors may also recommend eating smaller meals and limiting trigger foods, like fried, fatty or spicy foods and caffeinated or carbonated beverages. If those efforts don’t work, your doctor may prescribe medications that reduce acid production.

It may be time to consider minimally invasive surgery to treat your GERD if medications aren’t controlling your symptoms, you want to stop taking medications, you are experiencing worrisome symptoms, or you’re concerned about developing serious complications from GERD.

What to expect with minimally invasive GERD surgery

Surgeons at Penn State Health St. Joseph are using a minimally invasive approach to treat GERD, making small incisions to recreate the valve between the stomach and the esophagus.

They are also using an innovative treatment called the LINX reflux management system, which is a small band of magnetic titanium beads placed around the lower esophagus designed to restore the body’s natural reflux barrier. LINX keeps stomach acid from backing up into the esophagus, and it is designed so swallowing will break the magnetic bond and allow food and liquid to pass into the stomach normally.

If a hernia is present, that will be repaired, too. The surgery typically takes about one-and-a half hours, and patients can go home the same day. In cases involving large or complicated hernias, the surgery can take a bit longer, with patients usually staying in the hospital for one night and restricted to a liquid-only diet for a few days afterward.

To learn what specific, minimally invasive approach is recommended to treat your GERD, your doctor will order or review tests to see the extent of the reflux and related complications and to see if other diseases or conditions may be contributing to symptoms.

Dr. Margaret Riccardi is a minimally invasive surgeon at Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center.


Source: Berkshire mont

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