Catheter free Bravo 48 hour pH testing
The purpose of this test is to monitor the frequency and duration of the reflux of acid from your stomach into your gullet in a normal day. It will help to find out if your symptoms are related to acid reflux.
Previously such tests involved a thin catheter being placed into your nose and down into your gullet. This was in turn attached to a monitor which you wore on a belt around your waist.
Mr Singh now performs Bravo pH testing at Spire Clare Park Hospital. A tiny pH sensor located in a small (25mm x 5mm x 5.5mm) capsule is temporarily pinned to the wall of your oesophagus at the time of your gastroscopy. The capsule transmits data using radio frequency signals to a small receiver, not much bigger than a mobile phone that is worn around your waist. After 48 hours the receiver will stop recording and the pH data stored in the receiver is downloaded onto a computer. Between 5 and 12 days after the study the sensor naturally falls off the oesophagus and passes through the digestive tract, generally unnoticed. The main advantage of the catheter free pH system is that you are able to continue with your normal activities and you do not have a probe sticking out of your nose and attached to your face with some tape.
If you feel that your symptoms need further investigation and that you may be a candidate for Bravo pH testing please call Mr Singh’s secretary on 01252 783929 to make an appointment.