If you have moderate to severe GERD/GORD and do not respond to medicine (Proton Pump Inhibitors, PPIs) or wish to stop taking medicine but cannot because of recurrent GERD/GORD, the GARDTM for GERD might be just what you are looking for. This is particularly true if your GERD/GORD symptoms started after you have put on some weight.
The GARD™ for GERD, can be used for treatment of moderate-to-severe sufferers of GERD who are suffering from increasingly longer bouts of reflux. If you do not respond to Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) or cannot stop PPIs after several months or years of treatment and thus are considering a non-surgical option. The GARD™ for GERD is particularly indicated if your symptoms have appeared following weight increase.
It is now well-known that when PPIs are taken for a prolonged period of time, they cause side-effects such as calcium and magnesium malabsorption leading to osteoporosis; C. difficile infection (a severe bowel infection) and increased risk of pneumonia by aspiration. Furthermore, severe kidney, heart and brain complications may ensue. It is also possible that by blocking acid secretion of the stomach that kills ingested viruses and bacteria, PPIs could increase the risk of oral infection with Covid19 as the stomach acid has been decreased by the PPIs. Stomach acid is not necessarily harmful unless it triggers reflux (GERD/GORD). Using an alternative to blocking gastric acid with medication to treat GERD/GORD would be safer, particularly during a pandemic.
The GARD ™ for GERD is placed through the mouth into the wall of the esophagus using the patient’s own esophageal cells to integrate the device ring in the esophageal wall.
The procedure causes no abdominal scarring. Either an outpatient procedure, or one requiring at most an overnight stay in a clinic or hospital.