
A bracelet-like device with magnetic beads can control the chronic digestive disorder gastroesophageal reflux disease. The device encircles the valve at the junction of the esophagus and stomach, helping it stay closed when a person is not eating or drinking. The procedure, which typically takes less than an hour, gained FDA approval in March 2012 and the device was approved following 10 years of development and testing, where 144 patients participated in two FDA-regulated clinical trials.
Mayo Clinic was one of the 14 centers participating in the trials and the procedure is available on all three campuses: Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, Mayo Clinic in Florida and Mayo Clinic in Arizona. The study is published online in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Sound bites with study author, C. Daniel Smith, M.D., GERD animations and several jpeg images of the device are available in the downloads below
Expert title for broadcast cg:
Dr. C. Daniel Smith, Surgery Chair, Mayo Clinic in Fla.
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