Dr. Preeti Malladi discusses the LINX Procedure on CW33’s Google Chondriac Show
Transcript:
Acid reflux – if you don’t suffer from it, you probably know somebody who does. Just Google ‘heartburn’ or ‘chronic cough’ and presto – you’ll see acid reflux on your screen.
“About 40 million people suffer from this. Almost 1 in 5 people suffer from acid reflux. Hi, I’m Dr. Preeti Malladi, I’m a minimally invasive general and bariatric surgeon out of Forest Park Medical Center, and I’m here to answer Google questions.”
And there are so many questions, including, ‘What can happen if I play doctor myself?’
“The scary thing about acid reflux is it’s so common and patients tend to treat themselves and they don’t go see their doctor. And unfortunately, esophageal cancer is on the rise – it’s one of the fastest rising cancers in the last 10 years.”
Ok, that probably got your attention – but here’s the good news. There’s a new minimally invasive, FDA-approved treatment called the LINX Reflux Management System. For right now, Dr. Malladi is the only surgeon in the Dallas area certified to perform the procedure. She’s the expert, so let’s let her explain.
“It’s a band of magnetic beads that go around the lower esophagus and help strengthen the lower esophagus. But what’s great about it is that these beads open when you eat, so it allows you to eat normally, but then close and keep the acid and food from refluxing back into the esophagus.”
Dr. Malladi says the minimally invasive laparoscopic procedure takes about an hour. The only other surgical procedure out there involves wrapping the stomach around the esophagus like a collar, which is more invasive. A new study finds that 100% of LINX patients stopped regurgitating and 93% of them were able to cut way back on their medication. So all those trigger foods that you love but had to avoid, like tomatoes, coffee, and even hamburgers, they’re now fair game.
“You don’t have to avoid those foods anymore that you wanted to eat. You really can get back to your normal lifestyle.”
So the next time you’re out there Googling, type in ‘Forest Park Medical Center’ for the scoop on LINX.