Rogers Urges Caution on New Medical Device to Treat GERD

A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine touts a new medical device for the treatment of  Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) as an alternative to standard therapy, long-term proton-pump inhibitors or Nissen Fundoplication.The new treatment is a surgical procedure in which a small band of magnetic beads is surgically implantedto augment the lower esophageal sphincter, the valve between the esophagus and stomach. 

But Stanley J. Rogers, M.D.Associate Professor of Surgery at UCSF, Chief of Minimally Invasive Surgery, and Chief of Bariatric Surgery, expressed concern about its use, telling CBS/KCBS News Healthwatch that the device was essentially untested except for the small study cited above. He cautioned that the beads were a foreign object and where the device was placed could potentially cause serious complications including infection, perforation and abdominal sepsis, leading to ultimate removal. He emphasized that long-term data was needed to demonstrate its safety and effectiveness.