Corrosive substances ingestion: a review

Abstract

Corrosive chemical substance ingestions are a major problem, especially in developing countries, but also in developed countries such as the United States, France, and Belgium. Ingestions may be deliberate as suicide attempts (mostly in adolescents and adults) or accidental (mostly in children). The results can be devastating in terms of individual suffering and disability, but also in terms of resource utilization and costs. In developing countries, outcomes may be worse because of limited medical/surgical resources. Common sequelae include gastrointestinal (GI) tract (esophagus, stomach, pylorus, and duodenum) stricture formation, GI tract perforation, and hemorrhage. Systemic effects may also occur, such as disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), multi-organ system failure, and sepsis. Various interventions in the acute phase to reduce the severity of injury have been attempted, but there are no large controlled clinical trials to demonstrate efficacy. Dilation therapy in various forms is commonly used for the treatment of strictures and a variety of surgical procedures including esophagectomy and delayed replacement may be required in severe corrosive injury cases.

<p>The Association Between Caustic Ingestion and Psychiatric Comorbidity Based on 396 Adults Within 20 Years</p>

“…The incidence of caustic ingestion varies from country to country. 1,2,[5][6][7]10,13,14,17,19 Although possibly underreported, 10,12,19 the annual incidence rate of caustic ingestion in Taiwan was estimated as 4.3 per 100,000 adults by the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). 4 With our 396 cases with PCs and 377 controls, our study enrolled 4% of adult cases in Taiwan.…”

“…The broad-spectrum complications place a heavy burden on healthcare organizations. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] The extent of damage depends on the chemical properties, amount, concentration, and physical form of the ingested substances. [1][2][3]5,6,[10][11][12][13][14] Patient age, sex, comorbidities, complications, treatment choices, and socioeconomic status have important roles in survival outcomes and postinjury quality of life.…”

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] The extent of damage depends on the chemical properties, amount, concentration, and physical form of the ingested substances. [1][2][3]5,6,[10][11][12][13][14] Patient age, sex, comorbidities, complications, treatment choices, and socioeconomic status have important roles in survival outcomes and postinjury quality of life. 1,2,4,6,7,12,13,[15][16][17][18][19][20][21] Preventive measures have been widely advocated.…”

“…[1][2][3]5,6,[10][11][12][13][14] Patient age, sex, comorbidities, complications, treatment choices, and socioeconomic status have important roles in survival outcomes and postinjury quality of life. 1,2,4,6,7,12,13,[15][16][17][18][19][20][21] Preventive measures have been widely advocated. 1,6,10,[22][23][24][25] However, the effectiveness of precautions appears unsatisfactory in adults, among whom suicidal intents and deliberate self-harm accounts for the majority of cases.…”

A new perspective of the risk of caustic substance ingestion: the outcomes of 468 patients in one North Taiwan medical center within 20 years

“…Caustic substance ingestion is an uncommon but difficult problem worldwide. Caustic injury of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract frequently is life-threatening, especially in adults, and causes a wide variety of complications for patients and places a heavy burden on healthcare organizations [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11].…”