It's about the size of a large vitamin. Inside is a tiny pH sensor and a radio transmitter. You swallow it with water, sit back, and the test begins. No needles. No tubes. No sedation.
Your practitioner gives you small sips of a bicarbonate solution at timed intervals. This neutralizes your stomach acid on purpose. The capsule tracks exactly how fast your stomach fights back and produces acid again. That response is the whole point.
The entire test takes about an hour. You and your practitioner watch your pH data build on screen as it happens. By the end, you have a complete picture of your acid output, how quickly you recover, and whether your stomach is actually doing its job.
You swallow a capsule and sit comfortably for about an hour. No camera. No sedation. No recovery room.
Breath tests measure bacterial gases as an indirect clue. The Heidelberg capsule measures pH directly inside your stomach, as it happens.
It requires a trained practitioner, calibrated equipment, and a standardized protocol. That's what makes the data reliable.
During the test, the capsule sends a continuous pH signal back to our equipment. Both you and your practitioner watch it build in real time. What you get at the end is a curve. A single, clear picture of how your stomach responded to each challenge.
It shows whether you're producing enough acid. Whether you're producing too much. How quickly you recover. Whether your stomach is fatiguing. Whether something else, such as bile, may be affecting the reading.
Every pattern tells a different story. And your practitioner will walk you through exactly what yours means.
The Heidelberg pH Capsule is a Class I medical device, 510(k)-exempt, listed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration under 21 CFR §876.1400. Listing of a device does not denote FDA approval, clearance, or endorsement.