Replay of: Acid Reflux Surgery
Goes Live on the Internet

First Seen Webcast: May 6, 2004
5:00 p.m. Central (22:00 UTC)

The Nebraska Medical Center

OMAHA, NEBRASKA- On May 6, 2004, an innovative live Internet broadcast allowed the world a bedside view in an operating room at The Nebraska Medical Center.

	Acid Reflux Surgery

By logging on, you were able to watch a live surgery designed to stop painful acid reflux disease and ask questions of the doctor while he was operating. The procedure tightened the valve that allows food to pass through the esophagus into the stomach. Because the procedure is done laparoscopically, an internal camera took you from inside the operating room to inside the body.

"Called a Nissen fundoplication, the procedure prevents acid reflux from coming back up into the esophagus," said surgeon Dmitry Oleynikov, M.D. "Ninety-five per cent of the patients who have this surgery will not experience acid reflux again," Dr. Oleynikov said.

The laparoscopic "Nissen" as it's called, is much easier on patients than the traditional operation. Dr. Oleynikov performs the surgery using only four small incisions. It requires a 23-hour hospital stay and only a week out of the office. When not performed laparoscopically, patients stay in the hospital for 3 to 5 days and take six weeks off of work.

"People tend to suffer from reflux disease and they don't have to," Dr. Oleynikov said. "Left untreated, it can lead to Barrett's esophagus, which is a precursor to cancer. Only surgery can reverse Barrett's," explained Dr. Oleynikov, who recently authored a paper on the subject.

Candidates for the surgery include people who have reflux more than four to five times a week that is not eased by medication, or have documented problems with their esophageal sphincter.

Acid reflux hits a bigger segment of the population than you might think. Just walk down any street in any city in the United States and you will see the faces of people who live with acid reflux. Sometimes it takes the form of mild heartburn, but sometimes that heartburn is a symptom of the larger problem called Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease or GERD.

There are all kinds of over-the-counter and prescription medications that are used to treat GERD and often antacids are the first course of treatment. For some people, medications stop doing the trick leaving them with frequent and often painful acid reflux. That's when surgery becomes a viable option.

Symptoms of GERD include: heartburn, regurgitation of gastric acid or sour contents into the mouth; difficult and/or painful swallowing and chest pain. Most people assume that food triggers GERD but that's not usually the case. In fact, stress appears to be a bigger trigger than spicy food.

"While just about everyone will have heartburn at some time or another, GERD is much worse. It is a nagging, persistent burning in the chest that can be mistaken for a heart attack. When you experience GERD more than five times a week and over-the-counter medications are no longer bringing you relief, it is time to see a doctor," Dr. Oleynikov said.

To make an appointment with Dr. Oleynikov call 1-800-922-0000.

With a history dating back to 1869, The Nebraska Medical Center is known for excellence, innovation and quality patient care. As the teaching hospital for the University of Nebraska Medical Center, this 735 licensed bed facility has an international reputation for providing solid organ and bone marrow transplantation services and is well known nationally and regionally for its oncology, neurology and cardiology programs.