PDT partnered with UC Davis Health System to develop a unique new medical device which expands the esophagus using magnetic attraction, the Swallow Enhancement Device (SED) (patent pending). The device was designed for people who suffer from a medical condition called dysphagia, the reduced ability to move food down the esophagus and into the stomach. Dysphagia is a debilitating condition which, in acute cases, can be life threatening.
The SED is a revolutionary design that consists of two parts: (1) an external magnet enclosed in a handheld, ergonomically contoured housing and (2) a small titanium enclosure containing ferrous metal strips implanted under the skin and strap muscles at the front of the cricoid cartilage. The patient controls the movement of the external magnet by squeezing and releasing grips on the housing. This is the first time in modern medicine that scientists have documented external mechanical control of an internal body sphincter.
