Medically reviewed by Sumiran Racherla, MD, Internal Medicine. Last reviewed: October 23, 2026.
What kind of doctor provides Acid Reflux Surgery?
A general surgeon, a surgeon who operates on the belly and digestive system, performs acid reflux surgery. A gastroenterologist, a doctor who treats digestive diseases, often manages reflux first and may refer you. A direct primary care or concierge doctor can be a first stop for an evaluation and can refer you to a specialist when needed.
What it is
Acid reflux surgery treats gastroesophageal reflux disease, also called GERD. In GERD, food or stomach acid comes back up from your stomach into the esophagus, the tube from your mouth to your stomach.
The most common type of surgery is called fundoplication. The surgeon wraps the top of your stomach around the end of your esophagus and holds it with stitches. This raises the pressure there. It helps keep stomach acid and food from flowing back up.
Why a doctor might recommend it
Your health care provider will first have you try lifestyle changes and medicines. These include H2 blockers and proton pump inhibitors. Both lower the amount of acid your stomach makes.
Surgery may be recommended in these cases.
- Your symptoms do not get much better with medicines.
- You do not want to keep taking medicines.
- You have more severe problems in the esophagus, such as scarring, narrowing, ulcers, or bleeding.
- Reflux is causing a lung infection from stomach contents, a chronic cough, or hoarseness.
You are more likely to have complications from surgery than from medicines. If you have GERD and obesity, your doctor may recommend weight-loss surgery, most often gastric bypass surgery.
How to prepare
You may need these tests before surgery.
- Esophageal manometry, which measures pressures in the esophagus, or pH monitoring, which shows how much stomach acid comes back into the esophagus.
- An upper endoscopy, a look inside the esophagus with a thin camera.
Before surgery, you may be asked to pause medicines that keep your blood from clotting. These are called blood thinners. They include over-the-counter medicines and supplements such as aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, and vitamin E. Never stop a prescribed blood thinner on your own. Your surgeon tells you which medicines to pause and which ones to still take on the day of surgery.
What happens during it
You get general anesthesia, which means you are asleep and feel no pain. Surgery most often takes 2 to 3 hours.
- Open repair: the surgeon makes one large cut in your belly.
- Laparoscopic repair: the surgeon makes 3 to 5 small cuts and uses a thin tube with a tiny camera, called a laparoscope, to see inside.
- Endoluminal fundoplication: a camera on a flexible tool goes down through the mouth, so no cuts are needed. The surgeon places small clips or sutures where the esophagus meets the stomach.
Recovery
Most people who have laparoscopic surgery can leave the hospital within 1 to 3 days. After open surgery, you may stay 2 to 6 days. Most people return to normal activities in 4 to 6 weeks.
You start with liquids, then soft foods.
Risks and side effects
Any surgery and anesthesia can cause reactions to medicines, breathing problems, bleeding, blood clots, or infections.
This surgery also has its own risks.
- Damage to the stomach, esophagus, liver, or small intestine. This is very rare.
- Gas bloat, a feeling of being overfilled with air or food that you cannot burp away. For most people it slowly gets better.
- Pain and trouble when you swallow. In most people, this goes away during the first 3 months.
- Return of the hiatal hernia or reflux.
Call 911 or go to the emergency room if you have bleeding that will not stop, trouble breathing, chest pain, fainting, or severe belly pain.
Who performs it
The surgeon does the operation itself. Your health care provider stays involved before surgery, when lifestyle changes and medicines come first.
Common questions
Does acid reflux surgery cure GERD?
Not always, because some people still need heartburn medicines afterward. Heartburn and other symptoms should improve after surgery. For most people, fundoplication leads to long-term improvement of GERD symptoms.
Do I have to try medicines before surgery?
Yes, your health care provider will usually have you try lifestyle changes and medicines first. Doctors may recommend surgery if symptoms do not improve with these, or if you want to stop taking long-term medicines.
How does a direct primary care or concierge doctor fit in?
A direct primary care doctor charges a flat monthly fee instead of billing insurance, while a concierge doctor usually charges more and often works alongside insurance. Either one can be the provider who has you try lifestyle changes and medicines first. A surgeon performs the surgery.
Sources
- MedlinePlus - Anti-reflux surgery
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - Treatment for GER & GERD
Medical Disclaimer
This content is for general educational and informational purposes only and is not medical advice. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and reading it does not create a doctor-patient relationship. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions about a medical condition, and never disregard or delay seeking professional advice because of something you read here. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call 911 (or your local emergency number) immediately.
