title: "Occult" Boerhaave's syndrome.
abstract: Spontaneous rupture of the esophagus (Boerhaave's syndrome) usually presents in a dramatic fashion. Classically, following repeated episodes of vomiting, patients present with chest pain, dyspnea, cyanosis, shock, and cardiovascular collapse. We present a case of occult Boerhaave's syndrome diagnosed by an upper gastrointestinal series in a 33-year-old man who arrived at the emergency department with a chief complaint of hematemesis. This case report reviews the usual presenting signs and symptoms of Boerhaave's syndrome and concludes with a caution to physicians not to ignore the possibility of this disease entity in relatively stable patients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Slovis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004630:Emergencies; D004935:Esophageal Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D005839:Gentamicins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010406:Penicillins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011859:Radiography; D012422:Rupture, Spontaneous; D013577:Syndrome
chemical_list: D005839:Gentamicins; D010406:Penicillins