- Bravo pH monitoring test is used to measure the pH levels of your food pipe or esophagus.
- The acid in the stomach may back up (because of different reasons) into the food pipe and decrease the pH or increase the acid level in the food pipe.
- Sometimes food particles and digestive juices will splashback as well.
- This reflux of the stomach acid, which occurs on a regular basis can damage the food pipe permanently.
- The Bravo pH test determines how often stomach contents reflux into the lower esophagus (lower food pipe), as well as how much acid is present in the reflux.
The Bravo pH monitoring test is a system that involves the following components:
- A wireless pH-sensing capsule will be placed into esophageal tissue to track pH levels.
- A device that you wear to record data from the capsule.
During the test, a small capsule the size of a gel cap is briefly attached to the food pipe. The capsule tests pH levels in the food pipe and send readings to a receiver worn on your belt or waistband (about the size of a pager).
You will have multiple buttons on the receiver to record GERD symptoms such as heartburn (a caregiver will tell you what symptoms to record). You would be required to keep a journal to record activities such as when you begin and stop eating and drinking, when you lay down and when you rise. Your caregiver will explain this to you.
Please watch the below video to understand Bravo pH monitoring Test:
Reference- Bravo pH Test: What It Is, How It’s Done & Risks. (n.d.). Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved May 12, 2021, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/12042-esophagus-48-hour-bravo-esophageal-ph-test