Incisionless treatment for GERD now offered at BMC

Boston Medical Center now offers a new option for patients seeking a minimally invasive treatment for chronic heartburn.

Using the EndoGastricSolutions’ EsophyX® device, BMC surgeons are treating gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) with an incisionless procedure that addresses the physiological cause of GERD – namely, the lack of an effective barrier between the stomach and the esophagus.

“We are now able to utilize an incisionless approach known as the Transoral Incisionless fundoplication or TIF procedure, in the treatment of patients with moderate to severe GERD,” said Hiran Fernando, MBBS, director of Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery and the Center for Minimally Invasive Esophageal Therapies at BMC. “Because we insert the device through the patient’s mouth, the procedure requires no incisions and this translates into a shorter hospital stay and a faster recovery time.”

BMC is the only hospital in New England offering this procedure.

With the EsophyX device, a surgeon is able to reconstruct a durable antireflux valve and tighten the lower esophageal sphincter. “We can reestablish a barrier to reflux, reduce a small hiatal hernia and restore natural anatomical geometry,” said Dr. Fernando. “The procedure is done while a patient is under general anesthesia and lasts about an hour. Most patients are able to go home the next day and resume their normal activities within a few days.”

Typical treatments for GERD currently involve medication, either proton pump inhibitors or H2 blockers. “Although medication is effective with GERD, there are potential drawbacks,” said Dr. Fernando, MBBS. “Symptoms of reflux may be alleviated, but the underlying cause isn’t resolved, so patients may continue to have regurgitation events that can be harmful, without producing common symptoms such as heartburn. In addition, the potency of the drugs can lessen over time or that patients require increasing doses of medications to control their symptoms.”

According to Hiran Fernando, TIF has been effective in patients who have undergone the procedure.

“Of the patients who sought treatment for GERD, 79 percent reported either a cure or significant improvement of their symptoms two years after the procedure,” he said. “In addition, 71 percent eliminated their daily use of proton pump inhibitors. Although these results are very encouraging, not all patients with reflux will be candidates for this procedure. However, for those patients that are candidates, we are excited to offer the TIF procedure at BMC, as one of our minimally invasive approaches for esophageal diseases.”

For more information or to schedule a consultation  with Dr. Fernando call (617) 638-5600 or email Hiran.fernando@bmc.org. (no longer here – who took his place?)