PRESS RELEASE Jette, Ninove 24.08.2009

MEDICAL WORLD RECOGNISES NEW THERAPY FOR REFLUX BABIES

20% of parents seek medical help because of the frequent regurgitation (spitting up food) of their baby and the accompanying discomfort (crying). Reputed medical journal "Archives of Disease in Childhood" of the “British Medical Journal” group recently published the results of the clinical research project that began at the end of 2006 in the Children’s gastroenterology department of the Brussels University Hospital.

The AR bed, a development of the MULTICARE Company and the Brussels University Hospital, was investigated in a group of babies that regurgitated and cried a lot, for who medication or adapted food hadn’t helped. It was determined that the “AR bed” resulted in less regurgitation and crying in 3/4 of the babies. In addition, it was objectively established that the reflux index (% of time when there is acid in the oesophagus, measured with pH metry) almost halved within a week.

Taking account of the period of despair to desperation among parents and their baby, whether or not combined with various examinations (oesophagoscopy, pH metry, etc.), in their search for a suitable adaptation of food and medication, the AR bed can offer comfort much sooner: in general, improvement is noticed within a day.

The AR bed is now suggested by paediatricians as a first step in the treatment of regurgitation and/or gastro-oesophageal reflux. Apart from reassuring parents, a nutritional approach (adapted volume, thickened Anti-Regurgitation food); this posture therapy contributes to the decrease of complaints. This is a major step forward in ending the spiral of medication overuse in babies who spit up food and cry a lot.

Professor Y. Vandenplas: “Medication is mainly of use in reflux disease, i.e. acid reflux and oesophagitis. Many babies who spit up food do not have reflux disease. In other words, medication has little use for these babies. All medication has potential side effects, which is why avoiding this medication is preferable. Experience with the MULTICARE AR bed has taught us that a fair number of children no longer needed to take medication.”

More information can be found on www.multicare.be/eng/arbedeng.html

Contact:

PEOS bvba – MULTICARE® – serge.vleeschouwer@peos.be – tel: 0032 54 32 82 19
UZ Brussels Children – Yvan.Vandenplas@uzbrussel.be – tel: 0032 2 477 57 81

PRESS RELEASE 30.10.2007

WORLD FIRST
SLEEPING SYSTEM FOR BABIES WITH REFLUX

Reflux
Regurgitation means bringing food back up, to regurgitate or throw up. It’s a condition that many babies have regularly. Gastro-oesophageal reflux means that the stomach content flows back into the oesophagus. Reflux usually has to do with a sudden weakening of the not yet fully developed sphincter between the lower oesophagus and the stomach. This sphincter can not yet fulfil its barrier function, because of which food flows back into the oesophagus, in the mouth and sometimes also in the airways.
During the first year of one’s life, the sphincter will usually develop further and be able to fully carry out its function.
Just over half of all three to four-month-old babies regurgitate every day. About 20% of parents seek medical help due to the frequent regurgitation and discomfort (crying) of their baby.

Positioning as therapy
In the period before it was indicated that lying on the tummy increased the risk of cot death, this position -after adaptation of the frequency of feeding and amount of food- at a 30° angle, was the first step in treatment. Various scientific studies proved the efficiency of this method, because of which the use of medicine could be limited.
As lying on the back at a 30° angle turned out to be inefficient, the paediatric gastroenterology unit of the Brussels University Children’s Hospital, in cooperation with MULTICARE (PEOS ltd), started the “Back-lying positioning with a minimum 40° angle as new therapy for the treatment of regurgitation in babies” research project in December 2006. It was led by Prof. Dr. Y. Vandenplas. His department is an internationally leading centre in this field. MULTICARE’s task was to offer sleep comfort at this high angle. MULTICARE is known on the market as a manufacturer of scientifically founded sleep comfort for babies and children. MULTICARE developed the AR bed (photo) especially for this project. The AR bed is compact and can easily be placed in an existing barred bed. The best way of reaching the little patients at home is now being examined (baby shop, health insurance company or pharmacist.)

The study’s interim results  
Report of Prof. Dr. Y. Vandenplas, Brussels University Children’s Hospital, 25 October 2007:
“The research is still being done. The interim results of this study seem promising and positive. The majority of babies clearly regurgitated less; they spew up a smaller amount of food less frequently. In addition, these babies cried notably less.
Especially infants who spew a lot of food shortly after drinking and cry a lot when doing this, are calmer in this bed. Although the angle of inclination is very impressive, most children seem to sleep peacefully in this position. We currently think that the AR bed is particularly useful just after feeding. Only a small number of children showed almost no improvement.”

Contact:
PEOS ltd – MULTICARE® – serge.vleeschouwer@peos.be – tel.: 0032 54 32 82 19

UZ Brussels Children – Yvan.Vandenplas@uzbrussel.be – tel.: 0032 2 477 57 81