For years, Majed Khalifa's severe reflux prevented him from sleeping at night and, because of his disease, he couldn't even drink coffee to help him get through the day. He was taking medication for gastroesphogeal reflux disease (GERD), and when it stopped working, he decided to try something new.
Dr. Pat Reardon, surgical director of the Reflux Center at The Methodist Hospital in Houston, performed a new minimally-invasive outpatient surgery that ended years of severe discomfort in a matter of hours.
"I literally felt 100 percent better as soon as I got home," Khalifa said. "I haven't had a reoccurrence of reflux symptoms since the surgery and it's been more than a month."
GERD is a chronic, progressive disease that affects millions of people. It results when a bad valve at the lower end of the esophagus gets pulled open too easily from the pressure down below the stomach. The opening of the valve allows the contents of the stomach to wash back into the esophagus causing heartburn, regurgitation, loss of sleep and, in some cases, dietary restrictions.
The new LINX® Reflux Management System from Torax Medical was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to combat GERD. The system, composed of a small implant made up of intertwined titanium beads with magnetic cores, is designed to prevent the bad valve at the end of the esophagus from opening. The magnetic attraction between the beads allows the food to go by when you eat. The magnets then snap back into place to prevent the valve from being pulled open from below by the stomach.
