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According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), about 20 percent of Americans suffer with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a chronic digestive disease that occurs when stomach acid frequently rises up into the esophagus. When the stomach acid reaches the lining of the esophagus, a burning sensation in the chest or throat occurs.
Since 2019, the St. Anthony’s Hospital Heartburn and Swallowing Center has been helping patients who suffer with GERD and other swallowing disorders. More than 500 patients have been seen since the center opened.
“We use the latest diagnostic technologies and minimally invasive surgical therapies to provide relief for our patients,” said Abhitabh Patil, MD, a gastroenterologist, who serves as one of the center’s medical directors. “There is no need to suffer with this disease. Once a diagnosis has been made, we’re here to help.”
Although gastroesophageal reflux, or GER, is common in adults, the NIH said that when it occurs more than twice a week over several weeks, that is classified as GERD and can lead to more serious health problems. The most common symptom of GERD is heartburn but other symptoms may persist, such as regurgitation, nausea, difficulty swallowing, chronic cough and laryngitis.
Patients with those symptoms can be referred to the center by a physician or can contact the center themselves. After an initial consultation, nurse navigator Jackie Burns provides patients with options and direct referrals to the specialists in the center.
In addition to Dr. Patil, physicians with the center who offer specialized testing and advanced endoscopic treatments are gastroenterologists Neil Bajwa, MD; Chetan Desai, MD; and Mihir Patel, MD. Kevin Huguet, MD, a surgeon, offers minimally invasive surgical solutions. Dr. Huguet also serves as a medical director for the center.
One surgical procedure offered is the LINX©, a small ring of magnetic beads that is placed around the esophagus just above the stomach. It prevents regurgitation of gastric acid into the esophagus.
“The center is there to help when patients are no longer receiving relief from the medications they are taking,” Dr. Huguet said. “We also have seen patients who have been on the medications for so long that they want to find a solution to help them get off their medications.”
For more information, please contact the Heartburn and Swallowing Center for a free consultation at (727) 953-9159.