Medical breakthroughs help those suffering with gastroparesis
SUNINGHILL - Imagine trying to go about your daily life burdened with chronic nausea and vomiting. This is the reality that many South Africans living with gastroparesis are faced with.
Recent breakthroughs in medical technology have provided a solution, however, in the form of the Enterra gastric electrical stimulation device which is now available in South Africa.
Specialist gastroenterologist, Dr Ismail Moola, and general surgeon, Dr Barbaro Monzon, recently performed the first Enterra implant in Johannesburg at Netcare Sunninghill Hospital and reported that their patient is already experiencing the benefits.
“The patient, a 47-year-old woman with type 1 diabetes mellitus, was suffering from extreme nausea and vomiting. As a result of being unable to keep her food down, she was not getting sufficient nutrients from her diet. This severely compromised her health,” explained Moola.
“To add to her problems, the patient also has impaired kidney function, following a failed transplant some years ago, and has to have regular renal dialysis.”
The condition is more prevalent in people living with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus, but can also be caused by a chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction, connective tissue disorders, Parkinson’s disease and some psychological disorders.
Surgical options that were previously used to treat the condition included the insertion of a feeding gastrostomy or jejunostomy, which are feeding tubes that go directly into the small intestine or stomach respectively, or the implantation of a gastric pacemaker. The Enterra gastric electrical stimulation device presents a less obtrusive option, as the patient does not have to contend with external wires or surgical openings into the body which accommodates the feeding tubes.
“Before the surgery, the patient had lost a lot of weight because of persistent nausea and vomiting. With the Enterra gastric device, however, her body’s ability to absorb nutrients from food is improving in leaps and bounds and this is likely to optimise her overall health and well-being,” explained Moola.
The general manager of Netcare Sunninghill Hospital, Pieter Louw, said the hospital has joined the ranks of South Africa’s forerunners in offering this cutting-edge procedure.
