AUG. 1, 2005 |With television cameras surrounding her hospital bed ready to document the next technological wonder, Sandy Sellers did not choke.

Cameras clicked and reporters watched as Sellers became the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences' (UAMS) first patient to swallow the camera-in-a-pill.

The large vitamin-size capsule with cameras at each end traveled down Sellers' esophagus taking 2,600 pictures to identify any problems caused by her persistent acid reflux. 

Five minutes later, Sellers was smiling and chatting with her nurse and reporters.

"It was like a big ball of food going down your throat, but it was slick and it went down real good," Sellers said of the Pill Cam ESO. The device was approved by the FDA in November, and UAMS is among the first hospitals in the country to use it.

Twenty minutes later, Amar Al-Juburi, M.D., gastroenterologist and assistant professor in UAMS' College of Medicine, reviewed the pictures sent by the capsule and told Sellers that no problems were found.

About 10 years ago Sellers had a traditional endoscopy, a procedure that she did not like and did not want again.

"I would take this any day," Sellers said of the pill.

For millions of people with chronic heartburn, the pill camera will be an alternative to the invasive, more time-consuming endoscopy, which requires sedation. An endoscopy typically means a lost day of work and possible throat soreness for about two days.

"It will definitely change the management of many patients in a positive way," Al-Juburi said. "For many people, this new technology has a significant advantage over the endoscopy."

The pill is especially good news for the more than 19 million people nationally who suffer from Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, or GERD. According to health experts, most GERD sufferers do not monitor their condition despite the fact that 5 percent to 15 percent of GERD patients may have Barrett's Esophagus, a condition that increases the risk of developing esophageal cancer, the fastest growing type of cancer in America. About 700,000 people have Barrett's Esophagus.
 
Developed by Given Imaging of Yokneam, Israel, the clear pill has cameras surrounded by flashing lights on each end. Once out of its package, the camera operates for about 20 minutes. Patients swallow it with water while lying down. The lubricated pill glides down the esophageal tract while color pictures are transmitted to a recording device worn by the patient. After 20 minutes, the doctor has enough images to make a diagnosis.
 
The disposable capsule is passed naturally, usually within 24 hours to 72 hours. The procedure requires no sedation and recovery is immediate.
 
Sixteen months ago UAMS also began using a pill camera for diagnosing conditions of the small bowel, the Pill Cam SB. That pill, using the same technology, also replaces use of an endoscopy for many patients.

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