Before your test, your doctor will review any medications you take and advise if any should be paused. You’ll need to avoid eating or drinking for about four hours before the procedure. Once the catheter is in place, you can eat and drink normally, and no sedation or anesthesia is required, so you can carry on with your usual activities immediately after.

For most people, 24-hour pH impedance testing is safe and well-tolerated. Some individuals may find the catheter uncomfortable, especially if they have a sensitive gag reflex, and mild throat irritation can occur. In very rare cases, the procedure can cause more serious complications, such as injury to the esophagus.

This procedure does not require anesthesia or sedation, so you will remain awake and alert throughout. A numbing spray is applied to your nose and throat to make the insertion of the catheter comfortable. First, the doctor measures the distance from your nose to your stomach using a manometry catheter. The testing catheter is then gently guided through your nose to the stomach as you swallow small sips of water.

Once in place, the catheter is secured with tape over your face and ear, and connected to a small computer, about the size of a smartphone, which records acid levels in your esophagus.

You can leave the office and continue your normal activities, including eating, drinking, talking, and breathing without interference. Your doctor may ask you to keep a diary of meals, activities, and any symptoms you notice.

Over the 24-hour period, the catheter continuously transmits data to the computer, correlating reflux events with your symptoms. The next day, you return to the office for catheter removal and data download. Your doctor will review the results to assess acid levels and, if necessary, discuss diagnosis and treatment options for GERD or other conditions.