LINX Reflux Management System
New procedure to treat acid reflux: LINX® Reflux Management System
About 1 in 5 U.S. adults1 suffer from Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), commonly known as chronic acid reflux or heartburn. And many people continue to have symptoms while taking medications.
UH Digestive Health Institute is the first in northeast Ohio to offer a new, FDA-approved treatment for GERD, the LINX® Reflux Management System. The device is implanted during a laparoscopic (minimally invasive) surgery that typically takes less than one hour, offering patients a quicker recovery, immediate relief from reflux and a faster return to a solid food diet compared to other procedures.
LINX® is for patients with a lower esophageal sphincter (LES) dysfunction. A weak LES, the muscle at the junction of the esophagus and stomach, allows acid and bile to reflux, or flow back, from the stomach into the esophagus.
The LINX Reflux Management System, with favorable 3-year results in the New England Journal of Medicine, is a small flexible band of interlinked titanium beads with magnetic cores. The beads are connected by titanium wires. The device is placed around the base of the sphincter just above the stomach. Swallowing forces a temporary break in the magnetic bond and then magnetic attraction closes the LES to restore the body’s natural barrier to reflux.
The placement of LINX® does not require major alterations to the internal anatomy. “The procedure has fewer side effects compared to other GERD surgeries, and the outcomes have been outstanding,” says Leena Khaitan, MD, MPH, Director, Center for Esophageal and Swallowing Disorders, UH Digestive Health Institute; Associate Professor of Surgery, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
When left untreated, GERD could lead to serious complications like narrowing of the opening of the esophagus, Barrett’s esophagus and esophageal cancer.
To learn if you are a candidate for the LINX® Reflux Management System, please call: 440-285-6476.
1International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD)
This procedure is offered by Leena Khaitan, MD, Jeffrey Marks, MD and Raymond Onders, MD.