digest
Short Summary
Main recommendation: Use the Bravo recorder and paper diary correctly at home by marking meals, lying down, and symptoms on the recorder, using the diary only for anti-acid medication, missed events, and symptoms without a button, to get the most accurate acid reflux test. The Bravo capsule, pinned to the esophagus, detects acid and sends the data to the recorder you take home, and the capsule falls off on its own within 5 to 10 days.
Key Points
- The Bravo capsule is pinned to the lining of the esophagus and detects acid coming up from the stomach, transmitting that data to the home recorder.
- Eating, lying down, and symptom events must be marked on the recorder, because the test relies on this timing to interpret acid exposure.
- Normal eating is required during the study: eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, including foods that usually cause symptoms.
- The diary is limited to anti-acid medication, missed recorder events, and symptoms without an assigned button; it is not a food journal.
- The recorder must stay within three feet of you and dry, and an MRI must be avoided for 30 days after capsule placement.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions:
- Marking meals: If the display is dark, press any button to wake the recorder. Press the fork and knife button when you start a meal (a green light flashes), and press it again when you finish (the green light goes off).
- Marking lying down: Wake the recorder if needed. Press the bed button when you start lying down at a 45-degree angle or less (green light flashes), and press it again when you get up (green light goes off).
- Marking symptoms: Wake the recorder if needed, then press the triangle, circle, or square button once at the exact moment a symptom occurs. A nurse will assign which symptom goes to which button.
- Eating rules: Eat only breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Do not snack, sip liquids all day, chew gum, or suck hard candy. Any food or drink other than water between meals, even a small amount, must be recorded like a meal.
- Diary use: Record the date and time of anti-acid medication, using the time in the upper left corner of the recorder, not any other clock. For missed meal, lying-down, or symptom presses, write the event with its date and time. For uncovered symptoms like coughing, chest pain, or burping, write the symptom with the date and time shown on the recorder.
- Keeping the device: Keep the recorder within three feet of you, including while sleeping. If it is too far away, it beeps and a red light flashes; hold it near you to reconnect. Remove it before showering.
- Returning equipment: When the test ends, the recorder turns off automatically. Return the recorder and diary to the location where the procedure was performed.
- The capsule causes a tug sensation when food passes it, which the speaker describes as normal.
- The capsule detaches in 5 to 10 days and leaves in a bowel movement, which you flush away.
- Do not have an MRI for 30 days after the capsule is placed.
Bottom Line
Accurate Bravo results depend on precise, timely button presses and normal eating, so the recorder and diary should be used exactly as instructed for the duration of the study.
