No Heartburn, No Pills, No Scars: Surgery Without Incisions Available for Chronic Heartburn and Reflux

Lake Wales, FL (April 20, 2011) – If you are on of the million of Americans who suffer with daily heartburn or other symptoms of reflux such as regurgitation, chronic cough, hoarseness and dental erosions, plan to attend a seminar at Lake Wales Medical Center on an innovative new non-incision procedure to resolve the issue.

Until recently, patients with heartburn and reflux faced either a lifetime of daily medications, and often incomplete resolution of their symptoms, or the risks of invasive surgery. Now they have a better option. The new Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication procedure, or TIF, using the innovative EsophyX® device is performed completely without incisions and is now available from Dr. Snehal Patel at Lake Wales Medical Center. Dr. Patel is the first specialist in the area to be trained on the TIF procedure.

“The TIF procedure can significantly improve quality of life for our patients.” Dr. Patel said. “Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is an anatomical problem that needs an anatomical solution. Reflux medications can help relieve heartburn symptoms but don't solve the underlying problems or prevent further disease progression. After the TIF procedure, clinical trials show that most patients can eat and drink foods they avoided for many years. Reflux no longer impacts their life like it previously did.”

Dr. Patel is holding a seminar about the new procedure on Thursday, April 20 at 5 p.m. in the 2nd floor classroom of the Hunt Building at Lake Wales Medical Center. There is no charge, and the public is invited. To register, call 678-2288.

The TIF procedure is performed through the mouth. The procedure reduces hiatal hernia and creates a valve between the stomach and esophagus restoring the natural anatomy to prevent reflux. Because the procedure is incisionless, there is reduced pain, faster recovery time, ad no visible scar.

“Recent studies show that TIF can reduce patients’ dependency on medications with 79% of patients remaining off their daily medications after two years and experiencing a dramatic improvement in their quality of life,” Dr. Patel said. “We are very excited to be able to offer our patients the same incredible benefits as more invasive procedures without incisions.”