Gastroenterology

Our hospital is home to the Center for Diseases of the Liver and Pancreas, one of the Rocky Mountain region’s leading centers for GI cancer care. Our partnership with Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute offers comprehensive cancer services for complex GI patients.

Here, you receive a dedicated, interdisciplinary team of physicians who collaborate on patient cases to ensure the best care plan for your individual needs and the quickest access to treatment possible.

Our board-certified gastroenterologists and surgeons specialize in treating chronic GERD. This is a condition that results in acid reflux and heartburn when stomach acid is not properly contained and rises in the esophagus.

When you have GERD, you regularly experience heartburn, chest pain, indigestion, excessive throat clearing, hoarseness, chronic cough or asthma.

Treatment and management for GERD or heartburn include lifestyle changes, medications, and, in more severe cases, surgery. We provide many diagnostic tests for GERD, such as GI bleeding scans, and treatments, such as paracentesis.

Surgical procedures used to correct GERD

We offer several surgical options for GERD, including:

• Biliary drainage
• Hiatal hernia repair (traditional and minimally invasive)
• Laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication
• Transoral incisionless fundoplication using transoral reconstructive surgery (permanently corrective GERD surgery)

Magnetic sphincter augmentation for GERD

Magnetic sphincter augmentation is a procedure that implants a series of interlinked titanium beads with magnetic cores into the esophagus just above the stomach. The magnetic attraction between the beads increases the existing sphincter’s barrier function (how the esophagus stays closed) to prevent reflux.

The liver is the second largest organ in your body, weighing around three pounds. It performs many important functions, including processing food and drink into energy and nutrients as well as filtering out harmful substances from your blood.

When the liver stores too much fat, it causes inflammation. This condition is known as fatty liver disease. It is possible for this disease to progress to scarring and liver damage.

Our program provides the advanced testing, treatment capabilities and expertise needed to provide the best care possible for you.

Common symptoms of liver disease

Talk to your doctor immediately if you have any of these signs and symptoms of liver disease:

• Bleeding in the GI tract
• Dark urine
• Fatigue or excessive tiredness
• Jaundice or yellowing of the eyes and skin
• Mental confusion
• Retention of fluids in the abdomen
• Very pale or light-colored stool or bowel movements

Barrett’s esophagus occurs when the cells of the lower esophagus are changed by chronic exposure to stomach acid (reflux). Specifically, after irritation and damage, lower esophagus cells can change to form glands and secrete mucus. This damage puts patients at an increased risk for esophageal cancer.

However, acid reflux is highly treatable, and our Reflux and Heartburn Center is dedicated to curing Barrett’s esophagus. We use advanced diagnostic equipment and offer special treatments and resources for acid reflux.