PATERSON, NJ, JANUARY 23, 2018 – St. Joseph’s University Medical Center, part of St. Joseph’s Health, announced that it has become the first hospital in New Jersey to use the LINX Reflux® Management System to treat Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) through robotic-assisted surgery.

LINX is the latest tool in fighting GERD, a chronic, often progressive disease resulting from a weak Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES) that allows harmful gastric fluid to reflux into the esophagus, resulting in pain and injury to the esophageal lining. The LINX System, designed by Torax Medical, Inc., is designed to augment the Lower Esophageal Sphincter, restoring the body’s natural barrier to reflux.

“We are pleased to offer our patients suffering from acid reflux a permanent and minimally-invasive solution, giving them freedom from lifelong antacid medications which can help with the symptoms but don’t stop the reflux,” said Tanuja Damani, MD, Director of Robotic Surgery, St. Joseph’s University Medical Center. “Performing robotic-assisted surgery to implant the LINX System provides our patients with same-day hospital discharge, quick recovery, the ability to resume a normal diet immediately following the procedure and enhanced quality of life.”

The LINX System is a small ring of interlinked titanium beads with magnetic cores, which is placed around the esophagus just above the stomach. The magnetic attraction between the beads helps the Lower Esophageal Sphincter resist opening to gastric pressures, preventing reflux from the stomach from entering the esophagus. However, LINX is designed so that swallowing forces temporarily break the magnetic bond, allowing food and liquid to pass normally into the stomach. The magnetic attraction then acts like a valve and allows the device to close the LES immediately after swallowing, restoring the body’s natural barrier to reflux.

According to the American Gastroenterological Association, more than 60 million Americans experience GERD symptoms about once a month and 15 million suffer from it daily. Symptoms of GERD include heartburn, regurgitation, sore throat, cough and chest pain, and is also associated with a pre-cancerous condition known as Barrett’s esophagus, which increases the risk of esophageal cancer.