Advances in the diagnosis of GERD

Bio-Inspired Untethered Robot-Sensor Platform for Minimally Invasive Biomedical Sensing

Conventional catheter- or probe-based in vivo biomedical sensing is uncomfortable, inconvenient, and sometimes infeasible for long-term monitoring. Existing implantable sensors often require an invasive procedure for sensor placement. Untethered soft robots with the capability to deliver the sensor to the desired monitoring point hold great promise for minimally invasive biomedical sensing. Inspired by the locomotion modes of snakes, we present here a soft kirigami robot for sensor deployment and real-time wireless sensing. The locomotion mechanism of the soft robot is achieved by kirigami patterns that offer asymmetric tribological properties that mimic the skin of the snake. The robot exhibits good deployability, excellent load capacity (up to 150 times its own weight), high-speed locomotion (0.25 body length per step), and wide environmental adaptability with multimodal movements (obstacle crossing, locomotion in wet and dry conditions, climbing, and inverted crawling). When integrated with passive sensors, the versatile soft robot can locomote inside the human body, deliver the passive sensor to the desired location, and hold the sensor in place for real-time monitoring in a minimally invasive manner. The proof-of-concept prototype demonstrates that the platform can perform real-time impedance monitoring for the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease.

The Spectrum of Treatment Modalities for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD): A Narrative Review

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a prevalent gastrointestinal disease that is encountered and treated by physicians all over the world. It is a chronic and non-progressive condition. Symptoms can range from mild heartburn to chronic, recurrent, and severe symptoms like constant acid regurgitation, laryngitis, bad breath, otitis media, and severe heartburn, which can be debilitating to the patient. Hence, the administration of appropriate therapy according to the patient's severity of symptoms is imperative, more so because over-the-counter drugs like antacids are very common to treat GERD. Often, in some instances, mere changes in lifestyle prove highly effective in reversing GERD symptomatology. Depending on the severity, response to treatment, and presence or absence of complications, treatment with medical or surgical modalities can be decided. It has now been found that although the gold standard in medical therapy for GERD has been proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), there has been increasing research about their side effects and recurrence after treatment. Hence, newer anti-GERD drugs have been under trial, which has been discussed in detail in the review. The use of surgical fundoplications has drastically decreased and is being widely replaced by incisionless laparoscopic fundoplications and newer endoluminal techniques such as the LINX device. This review aims to compile the vast spectrum of treatment modalities for GERD, ranging from more contemporary diagnostic methods, lifestyle modifications, medical therapy, and surgical and endoluminal techniques, with a particular focus on newer directions.

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD): Highlighting Diagnosis, Treatment, and Lifestyle Changes

Millions of people worldwide are affected by the prevalent clinical issue, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Both conventional and unusual symptoms can identify patients. Many people with GERD benefit from symptomatic relief and are shielded from consequences by acid suppression medication. Our capacity to recognise and manage disease consequences has improved thanks to developments in diagnostic and therapeutic technologies. One of the biggest typical gastrointestinal problems treated by physicians and primary care doctors is GERD, which is characterised by heartburn and regurgitation symptoms. GERD prevalence has increased, especially in North America and East Asia. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have been the cornerstone of medical treatment for GERD for the past thirty years. However, clinicians and patients are becoming more aware of the adverse effects of the PPI class of medications recently.

Additionally, surgical fundoplication has significantly decreased, while the evolution of non-medical therapeutic methodologies for GERD has increased. In the treatment of GERD, lifestyle changes are crucial. Individual variances can be seen in how GERD symptoms change in response to different diets. The study implies that there may be a connection between reflux occurrence and salty foods, chocolates, fat-rich foods, and aerated beverages, even if there is insufficient data to support this theory. In lifestyle modifications, other factors involved are the head of the bed, patients' lying down position, smoking, fat or obesity, and physical exercise. The number of reviews focusing on various diagnostic techniques and treatment modalities is very less, so this review puts emphasis on these areas. This review also covers GERD and its symptoms, epidemiology, and pathophysiology, but significantly focuses on diagnosis, treatment, and lifestyle modification effects.