LINX Reflux Management System

The article I have chosen to share outlines a new procedure being developed to offer a better solution to acid reflux, or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). As the article describes, about ten percent of the western population is affected by this disease, and while pharmaceutical and surgical treatments exist, there remains a sizable population for which these treatments are not enough.  In order to better treat all patients, the new LINX Reflux Management System is designed to be a permanent treatment which is surgically implanted around the esophagus.  This system consists of a series of 10-18 titanium beads with magnetic cores interlinked with independent titanium wires to form an expandable ring.  This ring is then implanted around the outside of the lower esophageal sphincter, which in GERD patients does not completely close.  The magnets help this sphincter at the base of the esophagus close fully by adding an attractive force between 7 and 40 g while still allowing food to pass through to the stomach.

This article was of special interest to me as I was diagnosed with this disease a number of years ago.  I also felt that this new therapy was an interesting biomedical engineering achievement with the use of magnets to apply appropriate force without compromising the function of the sphincter.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3667475/