title: Caustic ingestion injuries.
abstract: Ingestion of caustic agents causes more than 5000 injuries yearly. There is little that the physician can do acutely to attenuate the severity of the internal injuries, but the physician must intensively monitor the patient and react quickly to treat laryngeal burns or transmural penetration of esophageal or gastric burns. Esophageal strictures may appear at any time after the second week. No therapy has been shown to reduce the incidence of strictures. A policy of vigilant anticipation and early dilatation of developing strictures is recommended.
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Service, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC.
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kikendall
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002057:Burns, Chemical / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D002424:Caustics / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004630:Emergencies; D004940:Esophageal Stenosis / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007830:Larynx / Q000293:injuries*; D015607:Stents
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002424:Caustics