Tiny Titanium Beads Can Help If You Have GERD

Gastroenterology

Tiny Titanium Beads Can Help If You Have GERD

By
Dana Sparks

April 15, 2012

If you have chronic acid reflux disease you'll be interested in this newly approved procedure. It's a ring of tiny magnetic titanium beads that can keep stomach acid from leaking into the esophagus, helping patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) who suffer from reflux symptoms despite taking medication. GERD is a condition in which liquid, or food, in the stomach flows back up into the esophagus due to the inability of a ring of muscle between the lower esophagus and the top of the stomach to close properly.

Mayo Clinic in Florida is one of the first health care institutions in the United States to offer the device and is one of only 14 centers that participated nationally in a clinical trial leading to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval of the device.

C. Daniel Smith, M.D., chair of the Surgery Department in Florida says, “Mayo has been a leader in the treatment of esophageal diseases, especially GERD, and we are pleased to be offering this new treatment to our patients immediately."

Soundbites with Dr. Smith are available in the downloads above.

Broadcast cg title: Dr. C. Daniel Smith, Mayo Clinic General Surgery

Click here for entire news release.