According to Prof Abhijit Chandra, head of gastro surgery department at King George's Medical University, till the arrival of lower esophageal sphincter (LES) stimulation therapy (LESST), popping antacids was the most common way to manage GERD. And in severe cases, surgical intervention called fundoplication was recommended (in this, stomach's upper part is stitched round the food pipe to support it). But both the methods offered only temporary relief and came with their sets of side effects."
He added that stimulation therapy is a minimally invasive surgical treatment for GERD. "The surgery involves implantation of a tiny electronic 'matchbox' sized device (that works like a pacemaker) in the stomach and generates mild electric stimulation to help contract the muscle that controls the flow of food into stomach," explained Prof Chandra whose team undertook the rare stimulation therapy surgery on a 42-year-old government clerk on Friday.
He was suffering from the chronic problem for the past 12 years.
The procedure lasted for about 45 minutes under general anaesthesia. Dr Chandra and his team of Dr Vishal Gupta, Dr Vinita Singh and Dr Pankaj Kumar fixed the stimulation device to the lower part of the food pipe and sphincter. Thereafter, the device was programmed to deliver a regular stream of electronic pulses that keep the muscle contracted, as it would be in a healthy body.
LESST is a patented technology marketed by an Indian firm. Executive director of the marketing company Kaustubh Chandrabhan, said, "Stimulation therapy is almost five-decade-old, but was never used for GERD. Several years ago, it was launched in US and European countries and helped many chronic patients lead a normal life. After clearances from the government, we have entered India and Lucknow is the first centre, where it was used." On why did the company choose the city as a centre to launch its product, he said, "We wanted to begin with a government facility and Lucknow was a good option."
GERD is common in India. A multi-centric study undertaken by the Indian Society of Gastroenterology revealed that more than 8.3% of the Indian population suffers from this problem. Lucknow's Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) is one of the 12 centres that participated in the work.
The study also said that more women than men suffer from this problem. Age is also linked to it. And among the middle-aged or working population, erratic or unhealthy eating patterns like intake of fried food, aerated drinks, tea or coffee were found to be associated with GERD. '
Results were examined on a gender-based scale as well. On a multi-variate analysis, intake of fried and non-vegetarian food was found to be independently associated with GERD among women. Among men, on the other hand, smoking triggered the problem.
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