Got chronic heartburn? River Park has an answer
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River Park Hospital has become the only rural hospital in the state to offer a relatively new and innovative treatment from called Enteryx. This procedure is used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, one of the most common causes of chronic heartburn.
Unlike previous treatment methods that involved surgery, Enteryx is relatively non-invasive, usually allowing patients to go home the same day.
According to River Park’s Dr. Barun Mukherji, who along with RN Cindy Lusk, has been trained in this procedure, GERD is a widespread problem for Americans.
“This is one of the most common disorders of the digestive system,” Mukherji said. “It is estimated about 7 percent of people have daily heartburn in this country. And then, less frequently, up to 40 percent of people get heartburn. So several millions of people are affected with gastroesophageal reflux disease.”
GERD is a condition where the sphincter at the lower part of the esophagus doesn’t function properly and allows stomach acids to move back up into the esophagus. If left untreated, GERD can eventually cause damage to the esophageal lining.
Mukherji says many sufferers can get relief from over-the-counter medications, but for those who have chronic problems, new medications have been developed.
“In the past several years, more potent acid reduction medications are available,” Mukherji said, “called Proton Pump Inhibitors. They are the medications like Nexium, Prilosec, Prevacid, those kinds of medicines.”
But those medications may present another set of problems. Patients with chronic GERD may find they need these medications on a daily basis, which can become quite expensive. Also, there is little data on the long-term effects of these kinds of treatments.
Surgical methods provide a one-time chance for a permanent solution, but such treatment entails a certain amount of risk, hospitalization, a potentially long recovery period. Even then, many patients still require medication after surgery.
Enteryx, on the other hand, is an outpatient procedure which requires no hospitalization.
Simply put, Enteryx is a polymeric material that is injected into the muscle of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), through an endoscope (a tube used to look at the esophagus and stomach). This material then forms a soft, spongy permanent implant in the sphincter muscle which can reduce the symptoms of GERD by helping the LES keep stomach fluids and acid from backing up into the esophagus.
So far, five procedures have been done at River Park. Results have been quite positive nationwide, according to Mukherji, who looks forward to similar results locally.
“About 70 percent of the people are off their medication completely,” he said. “And another 10 percent have cut down their medications at least 50 percent or more.”
For more information, contact Dr. Mukherji at 815-3930 or River Park at 815-4000.