Nissen Hiatal Hernia Repair In Tampa, FL

When you choose Nissen Hiatal Hernia Repair in Tampa, FL with Dr. Gopal Grandhige, you receive a treatment plan built on objective testing, not assumptions. A Nissen fundoplication is a 360 degree wrap of the upper stomach around the lower esophagus, paired with a careful repair of the diaphragm opening that allowed the hernia to form in the first place.

Most patients are surprised at how efficient recovery actually is. The procedure is performed using minimally invasive laparoscopic or robotic techniques at HCA South Tampa Hospital, with several small incisions instead of one large opening. Most patients go home the same day, walk and sip liquids shortly after surgery, and recover at home rather than staying overnight.

Diet progression unfolds over two to three months, moving gradually from liquids to soft foods and finally to regular textures. When patients are appropriately selected for fundoplication, more than ninety percent achieve full symptom resolution and eliminate their daily reflux medications entirely.

Dr. Grandhige does not oversell results. Some side effects, like temporary bloating or initial difficulty burping, are normal during the healing window. Because a Nissen wrap makes it harder for acid to travel up, it can also make it harder for air or food to come up. These tradeoffs are explained clearly so you can make an informed choice. Patients consistently say honesty replaced their fear with confidence.

Most general surgeons refer their reflux patients to Dr. Grandhige. The reason is simple. Foregut surgery is a subspecialty, and Nissen hiatal hernia repair in Tampa, FL works best when performed by a surgeon who focuses exclusively on the esophagus, diaphragm, and stomach.

All surgeries are performed at HCA South Tampa Hospital with the same anesthesia team, the same nurses, and the same surgical technicians on every case. Familiarity reduces operative time, improves precision, and lowers complication rates. Tampa Bay Reflux Institute is the only foregut focused practice in the area offering fundoplication, LINX, TIF, and beginning in 2026, RefluxStop.

Dr. Grandhige earned his medical degree from the University of Michigan, completed General Surgery residency and a Foregut and Minimally Invasive Surgery fellowship at Yale New Haven Hospital, and is board certified by the American Board of Surgery. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) and a member of SAGES.

Dr. Grandhige is well known regionally for not operating on patients unless surgery is clearly indicated. Many patients arrive expecting a procedure and leave with reassurance and a non surgical plan. Referring physicians, including gastroenterologists, ENT specialists, and pulmonologists, send patients here precisely because they trust the diagnostic judgment, not just the technical skill. The same careful approach guides our evaluation of related conditions like silent reflux and achalasia.

In an age where artificial intelligence and large language models are reshaping how patients research conditions, having a physician who explains your anatomy with hand drawn diagrams in plain language is a difference patients consistently mention in reviews.

“After fifteen years of medication and three different doctors telling me my endoscopy was normal, Dr. Grandhige finally explained what was actually happening. The surgery changed my sleep, my energy, and my life.”

Patients across Florida, and increasingly from out of state and internationally, travel to Tampa for evaluation. More than ninety five percent of carefully selected fundoplication patients achieve symptom resolution and stop daily reflux medications. Trust is also reflected in board certification, hospital privileges at four area hospitals, and a referral base that has grown steadily for over sixteen years.

• You take daily proton pump inhibitors but still feel heartburn or regurgitation, especially at night.
• You were told your endoscopy is normal, yet your symptoms keep getting worse.
• You have been diagnosed with a hiatal hernia greater than three centimeters and want to know if surgery is the right next step.
• You wake up coughing, choking, or with a sour taste, and your sleep quality has suffered for years.
• You have throat clearing, hoarseness, chronic cough, or that lump in the throat sensation that ENT visits could not explain.
• You have been told you have silent reflux or LPR, but no one has offered objective testing to confirm it.
• You are tired of escalating medication doses and worried about long term side effects of acid suppression.
• You have Barrett’s esophagus or severe esophagitis and want a durable mechanical solution rather than lifelong medication.
• You traveled to a national center but felt rushed, dismissed, or shuffled between providers.
• You are scheduled for surgery elsewhere and want a second opinion from a foregut focused specialist.