Current treatment options for GERD include prescription or over-the-counter acid-controlling medications and surgery.
Medications can cost up to $2,000 each year. GERD and its symptoms will typically resume if medication is stopped. In addition, some patients do not want to take medications for the rest of their lives.
Surgery is performed laparoscopically, under general anesthesia, and is an effective treatment option. However, surgery is an inpatient procedure requiring up to three days in the hospital and a two-week recovery period.
The Bard EndoCinch* Suturing System is a new device that allows physicians to place sutures inside the GI tract. This device is used in a procedure (endoluminal gastroplication) for the treatment of symptomatic GERD. The procedure creates plications, or pleats, near the "valve" at the top of the stomach. This procedure has been shown to significantly reduce heartburn symptoms and regurgitation in some patients, while permitting them to reduce or eliminate the need for acid-controlling medications. The Bard EndoCinch* Suturing System, developed and marketed by C.R. Bard, Inc., does not require an incision. It is an outpatient procedure that allows for faster recovery time than standard surgical procedures.
