(New Brunswick) – During the past year, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital has become the first in the region to offer a surgically implanted device aimed at eliminating acid reflux for patients who continue to struggle with gastrointestinal issues. The device, known as the Linx, is a magnetic ring placed around the lower esophagus to help prevent acid reflux.
Last year, Middletown resident David Mackrell began searching for a better solution to the acid reflux issues he had struggled with for years. He had experienced flu-like symptoms due to his acid reflux, including sinus infections, sore throat, and headaches. After failed attempts to control his symptoms through dieting, sleep position adjustments, and medication, David decided to reach out to Dr. Ragui Sadek from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital to learn more about a more effective solution.
“The Linx is an important step forward for Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in assisting patients like David who suffer from debilitating symptoms of acid reflux,” said Dr. Ragui Sadek, Director of Bariatric Surgery, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. “Prior to this advancement in technology, patients with this condition were only given two options, surgical repair or medication. The Linx has helped to bridge that gap, providing a quick, minimally-invasive procedure that eliminates symptoms of acid reflux without medication or advanced surgery.”
Unlike many other facilities that offer the Linx procedure, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital’s use of the EndoFLIP device to more effectively place the Linx is a unique and highly technical approach. The endoFLIP is a probe inserted into the esophagus of the patient prior to Linx placement in order to scientifically measure what size and where the device should be positioned. With both of these technologies now available to patients with acid reflux, RWJUH has become the highest performing facility in the Northeast for this innovative solution.
“This procedure has honestly changed my life,” said David Mackrell. “At first, I was afraid to stop my medication because I did not want my symptoms to return. The sinus issues, coughing, and fatigue I spent years tackling had always returned rapidly without medication. Yet, after the Linx procedure, I quickly realized that this was the solution I had been looking for all along. I now no long need medication to control my acid reflux, and I have begun to enjoy my life again.”
To learn more about RWJUH, please visit www.rwjbh.org/newbrunswick. For a referral to a physician affiliated with RWJUH, please call 1-888-MD-RWJUH. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/rwjuh and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RWJUH.
About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), an RWJBarnabas Health Facility, is a 600-bed academic medical center that serves as the principal teaching hospital of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the flagship Cancer Hospital of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. Its Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, stroke care, neuroscience, orthopedics, bariatric surgery and women’s and children’s care including The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch.org). A Level 1 Trauma Center and the first designated Pediatric Trauma Center in the state, RWJUH’s New Brunswick campus serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness.
RWJUH has been ranked among the best hospitals in America by U.S. News & World Report seven times and has been selected by the publication as a high performing hospital in numerous specialties. The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital has been ranked among the best hospitals in America by U.S. News & World Report five times. In addition, RWJUH was named among the best places to work in health care by Modern Healthcare magazine and received the Equity Care of Award as Top Hospital for Healthcare Diversity and Inclusion from the American Hospital Association. RWJUH Brunswick has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety, including the prestigious Magnet® Award for Nursing Excellence and “Most Wired” designation by Hospitals and Health Networks Magazine. The American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer has rated RWJUH among the nation’s best comprehensive cancer centers. For more Information visit us online at www.rwjbh.org/newbrunswick.
Contact: Hannah Peterson
RWJUH Public Relations
(732) 418-8385