St. Anthony's Heartburn and Swallowing Center

Treat Heartburn Without Pills and Get Your Life Back

If heartburn and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are keeping you from enjoying the food and life you love, let us help. We understand how uncomfortable it can be to live with heartburn, and can get you back to enjoying life.

The St. Anthony’s Hospital Heartburn and Swallowing Center offers a comprehensive program to treat GERD and other digestive diseases. To help you heal, our team of specialists use the latest diagnostic technologies and minimally invasive surgical therapies.

What Is GERD?

GERD is a chronic digestive disease that occurs when stomach acid frequently rises up (refluxes) into the esophagus (the tube connecting your mouth and stomach). When the stomach acid gets to the lining of the esophagus, a burning sensation occurs in the chest or throat, causing heartburn and/or indigestion.

In addition to being painful, GERD can lead to serious health problems. When heartburn, difficulty swallowing or nausea persist, it could be a sign of a more serious digestive disorder. If left untreated, these disorders can be painful and uncomfortable, and could lead to more severe conditions.

The most common symptom of GERD is heartburn; however, other symptoms may persist: 

• Burning in your chest after eating 
• Regurgitation
• Acidic taste in your throat and bad breath
• Nausea
• Difficulty swallowing 
• Chronic cough
• Laryngitis

Diagnosing Your Heartburn

Our Heartburn and Swallowing Center offers several tests to discover the underlying cause of your symptoms. Your doctor will make a diagnosis based on the frequency of your symptoms and your medical history. Some diagnostic tests for GERD include, but aren’t limited to:

• Wireless esophageal pH monitoring (BRAVO)
• Barium swallow
• Endoscopy
• Esophageal manometry
• pH impedance
• Gastric emptying study

Treating Your Heartburn

If medication management doesn’t help, or if you are looking to get off your antacid medications all together, we offer the most advanced and minimally invasive surgical options available for the treatment of GERD and other related diagnoses including:

• Hiatal hernia
• Barrett’s Esophagus
• Achalasia
• Gastroparesis
• Gastric Cancer

Advanced endoscopic treatment options include:

• Barrx™ radiofrequency ablation: Used to treat Barrett’s esophagus, this procedure uses radiofrequency currents to remove diseased tissue.
• Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR): Removes precancerous and small cancerous growths from your esophagus or stomach
• Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD): Advanced technique used to remove cancerous growths in one piece

Minimally invasive surgery:

• Laparoscopic Linx® procedure: A ring of magnetic beads is placed around the lower esophagus to prevent regurgitation of gastric acid into the esophagus.
• Laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication: Upper portion of the stomach is wrapped around the esophagus to prevent regurgitation of gastric acid into the esophagus.
• Laparoscopic Paraesophageal and hiatal hernia repair: Recreates or reinforces the muscles surrounding the lower esophagus
• Laparoscopic/Robotic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: The acid producing portion of the stomach is separated from the esophagus – a very effective treatment for reflux in morbidly obese patients. 
• Laparoscopic Heller myotomy: Used to treat achalasia
• Pyloroplasty/Partial gastrectomy: Used to treat patients with severe gastroparesis
• Gastrectomy: Modern resection technique used to treat esophageal and gastric cancer

Heartburn Navigator

Our heartburn navigator will guide you through diagnostic testing and your personalized plan of treatment, making sure that all your questions are answered along the way. After an initial consultation, you’ll be given options and direct referrals to our program specialists who’ll help you treat your condition.

To schedule a consultation with our Heartburn Navigator fill out the form or call, (727) 953-9159