LOS ANGELES -- Some good news is emerging for the millions of people who suffer from heartburn: a monitor that could relieve symptoms and save lives. KNBC's Dr. Bruce Hensel reports.

Many people with heartburn don't treat it completely, raising their risk of developing esophageal cancer. But a new wireless chip that can be swallowed could help doctors catch problems before it's too late.

A tiny pill-sized camera was one of the first ways doctors used wireless technology to diagnose esophagus disorders like acid reflux. A patient swallows the disposable miniature camera, and it takes hundreds of pictures inside the body.

Doctors used the capsule on 29-year-old John Grimes when he complained of reflux symptoms.

Surgeons implanted the capsule on his esophagus.

"It was there for probably about two weeks, but it was monitored for 24 hours at a monitor that's about a little larger than a beeper or a cell phone," Grimes said.

Now researchers are testing the next generation of wireless monitoring systems. It will be one of the first to detect other causes of reflux, while using safe radio frequency signals.

"The frequencies that we're using are the kind that are in the atmosphere all around us," said Fred Tibals, a biotechnologist. "They're not microwaves, they're not even cell phone energy; they're very low frequency."

Once the system is approved for humans, doctors will pin a small, dime-sized chip to the esophagus. The chip will detect electrical impulses that signal acidic or non-acidic liquids moving through the esophagus.

"It's a much more comfortable test and will not change the way you routinely eat," Dr. Shou Jiang Tang said.

The wireless monitoring system is still in the testing phase, but researchers say the device will store the results. Then doctors would download the data into a computer for analysis.

For more information, visit American College of Gastroenterology or National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.