New Implant for GERD Avoids Swallowing Complications

A new implantable device has been approved for use in Europe to help treat acid reflux disease. The IM RefluxStop device from Implantica, a company based in Zug, Switzerland, is designed to avoid some of the limitations of current minimally invasive reconstructive acid reflux procedures, such as difficulty swallowing, burping, and vomiting. The company reports that in the latest comparison of its technology against Nissen fundoplication, the most common type of GERD procedure, “the new method of treating acid reflux works with both better treatment results and fewer side effects.” Since the shape of the anatomy leading up to the rest of the esophagus is altered sufficiently differently, food passageway is not as affected and things can move through more freely.