An incisionless surgery is now available for those suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center Laguna Hills.
The one-hour procedure is performed by gastroenterologist Dr. Ketan Shah, who typically discharges patients the next day after monitoring them overnight.
“We’re living in an exciting time when we’re able to make a real difference in patients’ lives by improving troublesome reflux symptoms and reducing the need for daily medications that can have long-term side effects,” Shah said. “We can now do so in a way that is safe, effective and minimally invasive.”
The Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication, or TIF, procedure is performed through the mouth without incisions using an endoscope — the same equipment used to diagnose GERD. An instrument called the esophyx device is used to reconstruct the valve between the esophagus and stomach to restore the body’s natural protection against reflux.
The procedure has now been FDA-approved for over 10 years and has been performed over 20,000 times with favorable long-term results and a low rate of risks and side effects, said Saddleback Medical Center spokesperson Tiffany Atabek.
“Prior to this procedure, our only alternative was to refer patients for invasive surgery, which can have its own long-term side effects,” Shah said. “With the TIF procedure, we now have a safe and effective way to correct the underlying defect that causes reflux with very low risks or long-term side effects.”
GERD occurs when acids and other stomach contents frequently and spontaneously regurgitate and irritate the sensitive tissues of an esophagus due to a weakened lower esophageal sphincter.
Over 20 percent of Americans suffer from GERD, a disease most commonly diagnosed in patients who report regular heartburn a few times per week, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Shah sees patients suffering from acid reflux on a daily basis who are looking for a better quality of life. Because the loose valve is a mechanical defect, he said, lifestyle modifications are often not enough and medications act as more of a Band-Aid rather than a solution.
Post-surgery, approximately 80 percent of patients are able to stop their reflux medications, over 70 percent are still off of their reflux medications at three years, and over 60 percent are still off at five years, Shah said.
His first patient, Aileen Bobryk, is currently in her third week of recovery from her April 9 surgery.
Bobryk was originally prescribed Prilosec, an over-the-counter proton pump inhibitor, 20 years ago. She suffered from acid reflux. To some extent, everyone in her family did, too.
The 67-year-old Laguna Woods resident remembers when they switched her to Nexium and then the fight for stronger medication as her prescriptions plateaued.
Most nights, she couldn’t sleep. She spent every night propped up against a pillow, dreaming about the Mexican foods and spicy Indian curry she dodged, anticipating their latent effects. It got to the point where pretty much any food would cause the burns to the back of her throat.
“I was desperate. I always felt like I was going to drown,” Bobryk said. “All this stuff is in your throat and you can’t breathe. You try to clear your throat with coughing, and it just makes it worse. The burning became unbearable.”
She came to Shah, unaware of the TIF procedure, and moved forward with a case of nervousness. She said that Shah’s personal touch of “keeping her informed every step of the way” helped her in her decision.
Now able to achieve a full night’s rest, Bobryk is full of energy, in the middle of house renovations and painting her walls, and regulating a soft-foods-only recovery diet of melon, scrambled eggs, fish, rice and pasta.
“I miss my evening glass of red wine, but it’s OK,” she said. “I’ll have another glass in six weeks. It’s totally worth the price.”
