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Intro: Does the thought of eating a spicy pasta dinner send you running for the antacids? Occasional heartburn after a big meal is usually nothing to worry about. But if you get heartburn a lot, say, once a week, it could damage your esophagus and in rare cases, cause cancer. To find out if there's damage, doctors at Mayo Clinic are researching a new test that's as simple as swallowing a pill.
| Video | Audio |
| Total running time 1:30 | FOR ROCK CLIMBER JEFF VARDA, EVERY MOVE UPWARD TAKES STRENGTH, SKILL AND SERIOUS CONCENTRATION. |
Jeff Varda Has Heartburn |
"YOU USE YOUR ENTIRE BODY. LEG MUSCLES, CHEST AND BACK. IT'S EXCITING." |
| BUT NOT LONG AGO, JEFF'S CLIMBS WERE SOMETIMES INTERRUPTED BY HEARTBURN. | |
| Jeff Varda | "IT FEELS LIKE BURNING ACID AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR WIND PIPE." |
animation VO: Endoscopy video |
JEFF KNOWS THAT RECURRENT HEARTBURN CAN DAMAGE YOUR ESOPHAGUS. OVER TIME A CONDITION CALLED BARRETT'S ESOPHAGUS CAN DEVELOP, AND IN RARE CASES IT CAN TURN INTO CANCER. SO DOCTORS RECOMMENDED JEFF HAVE AN ENDOSCOPY. THAT'S A PROCEDURE DURING WHICH DOCTORS EXAMINE YOUR ESOPHAGUS WITH A SCOPE. |
Standup Vivien Williams Reporting |
"INSTEAD, JEFF IS GOING TO SWALLOW THIS TINY CAMERA TO SEE IF IT WILL GIVE DOCTORS THE INFORMATION THEY NEED ABOUT HIS ESOPHAGUS." |
| "THE FIRST THING WE'RE GOING TO DO IS APPLY THE ELECTRODES." | |
| THEN, DOWN THE HATCH. AS THE CAMERA PASSES THROUGH JEFF'S ESOPHAGUS, IT'S ... | |
Virender Sharma, M.D. Mayo Clinic Gastroenterologist |
"TAKING 7 IMAGES PER SECOND FROM EACH END OF THE CAMERA." |
| DR. VIRENDER SHARMA AND DR. YVONNE ROMERO SAY THE PILL CAMERA WILL SHOW IF JEFF'S ESOPHGUS IS NORMAL. IT IS, SO HIS WORK UP IS OVER. BUT IF THE PILL CAMERA HAD SHOWN SIGNS OF DAMAGE, FURTHER TESTING SUCH AS A STANDARD ENDOSCOPY WOULD HAVE BEEN NECESSARY. | |
Yvonne Romero, M.D. Mayo Clinic Gastroenterologist |
"BECAUSE IF THEY HAVE A PRECANCEROUS LINING OF THE ESOPHAGUS THIS IS MY CHANCE TO INTERVENE AND HOPEFULLY LOWER THEIR THEIR RISK OF GETTING CANCER." |
| WITH PREVENTIVE MEDICATIONS OR SURGERY. SO PATIENTS LIKE JEFF CAN CONCENTRATE ON THE CLIMB. NOT ON THE DANGERS OF CHRONIC HEARTBURN. | |
| FOR MEDICAL EDGE, I'M VIVIEN WILLIAMS. |
Tag: Dr. Romero and Dr. Sharma are currently involved in a study to determine whether or not the pill camera is effective at diagnosing problems due to acid reflux. Their hope is to give patients with heartburn a less-invasive option for monitoring their condition and diagnosing possible problems. For more information, log onto our Web site at ...
STATIONS: Per the licensing agreement, please provide a link from your station's Web site to www.mayoclinic.org/medical-edge or voice tag "mayoclinic.org/medical-edge" for more information.
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