Caustic ingestion in children —A review

Various domestic or industrial chemicals may cause significant upper aerodigestive tract burns. Preventive measures should be up-scaled, especially in the developing world, to reduce the epidemic of accidental victims, largely unsupervised preschool children. External signs do not predict degree of injury. Non-invasive diagnostic screening includes radio-nuclear imaging, but early oesophago-gastroduodenoscopy remains the standard to predict stricture formation from circumferential submucosal scarring.
Source: Seminars in Pediatric Surgery - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Source Type: research