Dignity Health - Heartburn and GERD Center

At Dignity Health Heartburn and GERD Center, we specialize in diagnosing and treating:

• Achalasia

• Barrett's esophagus or esophagitis

• Esophageal diverticulum

• Esophageal dysmotility

• Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST)

• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

• Gastroparesis

• Hiatal or paraesophageal hernia

• Pyloric stenosis

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a condition that affects your digestive tract. It’s a more serious form of acid reflux. With GERD, the backflow of stomach acid into the esophagus occurs regularly over time and causes damage to the esophagus (the tube connecting the throat to the stomach).

GERD can also cause pain and swelling in your esophagus, a condition called esophagitis. It can also lead to a more serious, precancerous condition called Barrett’s esophagus.

GERD develops from a problem with a one-way valve where the esophagus (the tube between the throat and stomach) connects to the stomach. This valve usually allows food and drink to pass from the esophagus into the stomach while preventing backflow into the esophagus. It’s formed naturally by the sharp angle where the esophagus enters the stomach, called the angle of His. 

With GERD, this valve doesn't work well. Food and drink can move back from the stomach into the esophagus. A hiatal hernia, often caused by obesity or pregnancy, is the most common cause of GERD.

Symptoms of GERD may include acid reflux, choking or difficulty swallowing, frequent coughing, especially at night or after a big meal, heartburn and regurgitation (food coming back up) or bad taste in your mouth.

Heartburn is a mild burning sensation in the mid-chest caused by acid reflux, including GERD. Acid reflux is the backflow of stomach contents (such as acid and gastric juice) into the esophagus, the tube that connects the throat to the stomach.

Heartburn often occurs after meals or when lying down. It can worsen due to smoking or eating too much close to bedtime. Certain foods can also increase heartburn, such as chocolate, mint, alcohol, pepper, spicy food, high-fat food or caffeinated drinks.

We offer various testing options at Dignity Health Heartburn and GERD Center to diagnose the cause of your symptoms. To help your doctor see problems in your small bowel, we may use hydrogen breath tests and video capsule endoscopy. For stomach conditions, we offer gastric barostat studies, gastric emptying studies and upper gastrointestinal series.

Other tests to examine your esophagus include:

• Ambulatory pH impedance monitoring

• CT scans

• Esophageal pH tests (including pH monitoring)

• Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD)

• High-resolution esophageal manometry

• Swallowing studies (including barium swallows)

We use the latest surgical techniques available to provide advanced care for esophageal and stomach diseases, including laparoscopic and robot-assisted procedures. Minimally invasive approaches often help patients recover faster with less pain and fewer complications.

Surgeons at Dignity Health Heartburn and GERD Center offer complex procedures, such as:

• Endoscopic radiofrequency ablation

• Hiatal hernia repair and fundoplication

• Distal esophageal (Heller) myotomy

• Reflux management system

• Transoral incisionless fundoplication

• Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy

To refer a patient to Dignity Health Heartburn and GERD Center, please complete our referral form and email to heartburn@commonspirit.org or fax to (916) 733-3426.

To refer a patient to the Esophageal Motility Center at Mercy General Hospital for esophageal manometry, pH testing or small bowel capsule endoscopy, please complete our manometry order form and email to mgh-surgeryscheduling@commonspirit.org or fax to (916) 853-4806.

If you have any questions or need more information, contact us at heartburn@commonspirit.org or call (916) 538-0875.