AUTOMATED ESOPHAGEAL REFLUX SAMPLER - A NEW DEVICE USED TO MONITOR BILE-ACID REFLUX IN PATIENTS WITH GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX DISEASE

A new automated suction device has been developed to aspirate the cont ents of the distal oesophagus to monitor the constituents of the reflu xate in patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. Using antimon y and glass electrodes with solid-state pH recorders it has been concl usively shown that gastric acid is responsible for the mucosal damage seen in reflux oesophagitis but new evidence is emerging that other co nstituents of the gastroduodenal juice, in particular bile acids, are also damaging to the oesophageal mucosa. The main difficulty lies in t hat there is no reliable method of monitoring this component of the re fluxate except by direct aspiration of the contents for assay. This ne w technique of oesophageal sampling utilizing a software-controlled su ction process with simultaneous pH recording has helped to identify pa tients at risk of refluxing potentially harmful substances and is a va luable addition to the armamentarium of investigative procedures for p atients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease.