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Heartburn Treatment Center Offers Patient-friendly Testing

Just about everyone can have occasional heartburn. However, about 25 million Americans have heartburn every day, and some of those are at high risk for serious health problems.

How do you know if your heartburn is a minor inconvenience or a symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) that could lead to serious health problems?

One way is to have a physician measure pH levels in your esophagus. Until recently, this was done by placing a tube through your nose and into your esophagus for 24 hours. The tube often limited patients' normal activities. They found the tube uncomfortable and preferred not to be seen in public with a tube in their nose.

Now, Centra Health's Heartburn Treatment Center of Virginia is among the first centers in the country to offer Bravo, a much more patient-friendly pH test for diagnosing heartburn and GERD. With Bravo, a tiny capsule the size of a gel cap, is attached to your esophagus to measure pH. The capsule records how much and how often acid flushes into your esophagus and then transmits this information to a pager-sized receiver worn on your waistband or belt. The Bravo system is so small you can eat normally and go about your daily routine without restrictions. The capsule naturally falls off the wall of your esophagus and passes through your digestive tract several days after the test.

"Patients find the Bravo system much more comfortable than our previous procedure, and they like it," said Robert E. Hickman, M.D., of Gastroenterology Associates of Central Virginia.

Centra Health's Heartburn Treatment Center of Virginia, which opened in April, is designed to help patients deal with gastroesophageal reflux disease through dietary and lifestyle changes, medical therapy and minimally invasive surgery. The center offers the latest in technology.
Left untreated, chronic GERD can damage your esophagus and possibly lead to esophageal cancer. Damage caused by GERD can bring serious medical problems such as difficulty swallowing (dysphagia), a narrowing of the esophagus (stricture) or Barrett's Esophagus, a pre-cancerous condition.

Major developments in treatment options for GERD have occurred over the past decade and now they are offered in Lynchburg at the Heartburn Treatment Center of Virginia. Many GERD sufferers can be helped through lifestyle changes and medications. For some patients, treatment options include gastrointestinal X-rays, esophageal motility tracings, acid reflux monitoring and GI endoscopy. For others, surgery may be necessary. A surgical procedure called laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication is an option for a patient who has a weakened valve or hiatal hernia.

If you think you have chronic heartburn or GERD, talk with your physician or call the Heartburn Treatment Center of Virginia,
(434) 947-GERD (4373).

For more information, contact: Susan G. Brandt, Communications/Marketing, Centra Health, (434) 947-4731