The problem was, the proton pump inhibitors he’d used for 15 years no longer were extinguishing the fire in his throat.
“My heartburn was so bad I had to sleep on an elevated pillow but it would burn my esophagus and I would eat ice cream to try to cool it down. But it didn’t work,” said Ron Petrie, 67, of Chartiers Township, Washington County.
His daughter, Jodi Lech, 41, also of Chartiers and director of oncology pharmacy in the Allegheny Health Network, also had been using the drugs for a decade. But she learned from her colleague, Blair Jobe, director of the health network’s Esophageal and Lung Institute, about the LINX Reflux Management System produced by Torax Medical Inc. of St. Paul, Minn. It’s been available for about four years to prevent gastro-esophageal reflux disease, or GERD.
The problem occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter — the trap door between the esophagus and stomach — doesn’t close completely, allowing stomach acid to backflow into the esophagus.
But LINX, a “small flexible band of interlinked titanium beads with magnetic cores” — essentially an elastic bracelet with magnetic beads — helps to close the sphincter and prevent reflux. Ms. Lech and her father both decided to try it, with Ms. Lech agreeing to be the family guinea pig.
“Swallowing forces temporarily break the magnetic bond, allowing food and liquid to pass normally into the stomach” with “magnetic attraction designed to close the actual sphincter immediately after swallowing, restoring the body’s natural barrier to reflux,” states the company website at www.toraxmedical.com.
During an outpatient procedure, LINX is placed around the sphincter as a support. For several weeks, the person is advised to eat smaller meals, chew well and adapt to feelings of food collecting above the device. Soon enough the sphincter opens and closes without notice.
Todd Berg, Torax CEO, said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the device in 2012 and now more than 4,000 people have undergone the procedure with less than 3 percent having it removed, mostly due to difficulty or discomfort in swallowing.
Health insurance providers often are required to cover it after the patient appeals the initial denial. But Highmark is doing an economic study with Dr. Jobe to gauge costs and benefits with 150 other medical centers throughout the United States offering it at costs ranging from $10,000 to $15,000.
“We think the LINX procedure is well positioned at least to play a role in advancing care of this disease, and we’ve spent a lot of money and a lot of time to make sure we have technology that’s sustainable,” Mr. Berg said. Patients now have had the device in place for eight years, he said, noting that Dr. Jobe is a leader in using and testing the device.
For Mr. Petrie, his acid reflux was gone the day after he had the device put in place, allowing him to resume eating chili, onions and pepperoni. “It changed my life,” he said. Ms. Lech who previously developed Barrett’s esophagus (tissue changes caused by acid reflux) also no longer needs proton-pump inhibitors.
“I’m more active and sleep better,” she said. “After having GERD for so long I was thinking this was too good to be true.”
David Templeton: dtempleton@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1578
First Published: March 22, 2016, 4:00 a.m.
