Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “CAUSTICS”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,189 records · Page 66Linked to original sources

Esophageal replacement in children by an isoperistaltic gastric tube: a 12-year experience.

The colonic segment is the most frequently used material for replacing the esophagus in children; however, the use of a gastric tube has become a reliable alternative operation. Since 1987, we have used an isoperistaltic gastric tube to replace the esophagus in children, and we present a series of 21 patients. Indications for operation included caustic injury (nine), esophageal atresia (eight), peptic stricture (two), congenital stricture (one), and esophageal duplication (one). There was no death or necrosis of the graft during the early postoperative period. The esophagogastric anastomosis leaked in two cases, but both of them closed spontaneously. A temporary dumping syndrome was encountered in two children. Two patients had strictures of their upper anastomosis responding to dilatations. The two patients who had a pharyngogastric anastomosis developed either intractable stricture or nonfunctioning anastomosis. One of them died 9 months later from aspiration pneumonitis. At follow-up, 16 of 21 patients could accept a normal diet (13 were entirely asymptomatic, and three suffered occasional mild dysphagia). Two patients suffered significant dysphagia (one had a durable dilation of his gastric tube), and three needed a feeding jejunostomy. Acid secretion of the gastric tube was proved in nine cases. Two patients were shown to have cervical Barrett's esophagus above the anastomosis. These findings indicate the need for lifelong endoscopic follow-up for these patients.

Child↗

Ingested gastrointestinal foreign bodies: predisposing factors for complications in children having surgical or endoscopic removal.

A retrospective study was performed to determine the predisposing factors associated with the complications of ingested gastrointestinal (GI) tract foreign bodies (FBs) in children who had surgical or endoscopic removal. The study was performed in 161 children who had endoscopic or surgical removal. The clinical data were evaluated in two groups. In groups I and II, respectively, 135 patients with no complications and 26 patients with complications were analyzed. The relative risk analysis was performed for the risk factors. The number of the patients with an accurate history and the radiopaque FBs was significantly higher in group I. Metal, especially sharp objects, and food plugs obstructing a diseased esophagus were the most common FBs found in group II. The majority of the FBs of both groups were entrapped in esophagus, the number of the FBs distal to esophagus was significantly higher and duration of lodgment was significantly longer in group II. Esophageal abrasion, laceration and bleeding, complete esophageal obstruction, caustic injury, severe esophageal stricture, laryngeal edema, recurrent aspiration pneumonia, loss of weight, intestinal perforation, constipation and intestinal obstruction were determined as complications. The relative risk was >1 for duration of lodgment more than 24 h, for sharp or pointed objects, button batteries, nonopaque objects, diseased esophagus and for the objects located below the upper third of esophagus. Type, radiopacity, location and duration of the ingested GI tract FB determine the outcome. A delayed diagnosis is the most significant factor increasing the risk of complications. Physician must maintain a high index of suspicion and a more extensive history; physical examination and radiodiagnostic investigation should be obtained in suspected cases.

Adolescent↗

Intestinal bypass of the oesophagus: 117 patients in 28 years.

This study includes 117 patients operated upon in the period from 1970 to 1999. Indications, surgical techniques, complications, and results are reviewed. Indications included: long-gap oesophageal atresia with or without fistula in 81 patients; peptic stenosis in 19; caustic stenosis in 12; oesophageal varices in 2; and 1 case each of oesophageal epidermolysis bullosa, total oesophageal leiomyomatosis, and a non-functioning antiperistaltic retrosternal colic graft operated upon in another hospital. A retrosternal bypass was performed 106 times: 98 first operations and 8 redos; the intrathoracic technique was used 19 times. The left transverse colon was used in 107 cases (85.6%), the right transverse colon in 8 (6.4%), and the ileocecum in 10 (8%). All the intestinal bypasses were placed in the isoperistaltic direction. There were 5 deaths in the first 11 years of our experience; no patient died from 1982 on. Ten complications were treated conservatively (8%): 2 wound infections healed with medical treatment, and 8 leaks of the cervical anastomosis closed spontaneously. The major surgical complications were 8 gangrenous bypasses (6.4%), removed and reoperated about 1 year later utilizing an ileocolic retrosternal graft. Three cases of peptic disease of the colic bypass (2.4%) were successfully treated with the author's technique. Nine patients had minor surgical complications (7.2%): 3 strictures of the oesophagocolic anastomosis in a retrosternal bypass (resected and reoperated) and 6 cases of adhesive occlusion. In our opinion, the best substitute of the oesophagus is the colon, particularly the left transverse segment, which may be placed behind the sternum or in the oesophageal bed, always in the isoperistaltic direction. The low mortality (4%), restricted to the early period of our experience, and few major surgical complications (6.4%) are acceptable considering the importance of the operation, and the long-term results may be considered very satisfactory.

Burns↗

Gastric-tube esophagoplasty in children.

From 1979 to 1996, 19 patients underwent gastric-tube esophagoplasty. There were 10 boys and 9 girls, aged between 1 year 4 months and 4 years 11 months at the time of surgery. In 1 patient the esophagoplasty was performed due to a long stenosis secondary to reflux; 3 others had caustic stenoses; and the remaining patients had esophageal atresia. In 17 cases an isoperistaltic gastric tube was brought up to the neck through the retrosternal space; in 2 an anisoperistaltic gastric tube was used, cervical mobilization being via the posterior mediastinum without a thoracotomy in 1 case and by the left transpleural route in the other. The cervical anastomosis was carried out in one surgical stage in 12 patients and in two stages in 7. In 1 patient the tube was resected due to necrosis of its proximal third; the child later underwent an esophagocoloplasty. Necrosis of the colic graft, mediastinitis, and septicemia occurred, leading to the only death in the series. There were 12 fistulas of the cervical anastomosis (63.3%) and 8 stenoses (42.1%). All fistulas, with 1 exception, closed spontaneously after 8 days to 2 months, and all stenoses were treated by endoscopic dilatation. Another patient developed a fistula of the gastric tube with chronic evolution to a stenosis of the distal third of the tube and communication with the right lower pulmonary lobe. A lobectomy and closure of the fistula were necessary. All patients were followed for a period of 1 to 16 years. At present, all of them swallow solid food normally. The evolution of the nutritional status was normal (eutrophic) in 14 of the 18 patients (77.7%) who survived the operation; 4 showed variable degrees of malnutrition. In 2 of these 4 cases the malnutrition was due to poor socioeconomic conditions, but was not related to the surgery. Redundancy, a problem associated with esophagocoloplasty, was not observed in any of the gastric tubes, which was attributed to the thickness of the gastric wall. The authors prefer the use of an isoperistaltic gastric tube (with proximal base) for esophageal replacement in children and recommend that the operation should be carried out when the child is able to swallow solid foods and walk. As in any other major surgical procedure, a good nutritional state is essential prior to operation.

Child, Preschool↗

Black oesophagus: a rare disorder with potentially fatal outcome. A forensic pathological approach based on five autopsy cases.

Black oesophagus is a rare pathological condition of unknown aetiology characterised by a full length, circumferential black discolouration of the entire oesophageal mucosa. The disease is sporadically encountered during upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. We used conventional histology, enzyme histochemistry and immunohistology to examine five autopsy cases (four males, one female; age range 43-86 years) of black oesophagus. On microscopical examination, the esophageal mucosa was entirely necrotic with demarcation by a leukocytic infiltrate in the upper submucosa. This infiltrate was dominated by neutrophilic granulocytes and scattered macrophages lacking haemosiderin deposits, placing the noxious mucosal injury in a time frame of approximately 24-72 h prior to death. Black oesophagus was established as the immediate cause of death in one case due to desanguination from the oesophagus and significantly contributed to the fatal outcome in a second case. Apart from a history of chronic alcohol consumption in four cases, no other pre-existing pathological or debilitating conditions could be established. The remarkably consistent pathomorphological picture of the disease seems to be the result of impaired microcirculation of the oesophageal mucosa due to prolonged hypotension of variable aetiology. The diagnosis of black oesophagus requires exclusion of other causes such as ingestion of caustic materials and should be based on histological examination.

Adult↗

Functional outcome following colon interposition in total pharyngoesophagectomy with or without laryngectomy.

Our study compares deglutition between a group who had undergone total esophagopharyngolaryngectomy and a group who had esophagectomy and partial pharyngectomy with preserved larynx, after reconstruction of the upper digestive tract with pedicled colon interposition. In four patients the laryngeal structures could be preserved (three caustic burns and one proximal esophageal tumor). Six patients underwent a total laryngopharyngectomy for large pharyngeal tumors. Swallowing was assessed by a questionnaire, clinical examination, and videofluoroscopy. All patients had normal intake of semisolid foods and fluids. All patients but three experienced some feeling of "narrowing" of the tract: four at the level of the hypopharynx, two at the oropharyngeal level, one at the oral level. In the laryngectomy group, solid food caused some degree of delayed swallowing in three patients. Dumping occurred in one case out of the nonlaryngectomy group. On clinical examination a tense motility in all laryngectomy patients appeared, food remnants in five and repeated swallowing movements in four. The videofluoroscopy confirmed repeated swallowing movements and presence of residual food in the oral cavity. Temporal stagnation occurred at the anastomosis site in all patients and in two patients at a place of colon redundancy. Colon interposition is a reliable reconstruction and gives the possibility of a good functional outcome. Although preservation of the larynx facilitates swallowing even in this reconstructive procedure, it may be better to perform a total laryngopharyngectomy and colon interposition in oncological cases where the pharyngeal remnant is borderline for primary closure.

Adult↗

Etiology, treatment, and outcome of esophageal ulcers: a 10-year experience in an urban emergency hospital.

Esophageal ulcers are a rare cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. This report describes the etiology, treatment, complications, and outcome of esophageal ulcers. An esophageal ulcer is defined as a discrete break in the esophageal mucosa with a clearly circumscribed margin; esophageal ulcers were seen in 88 patients from a total of 7,564 esophagogastroduodenoscopies done by one surgeon at an urban hospital from 1991 to 2001. All hospital reports were reviewed. The etiology of esophageal ulcers included the following: gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD) (n=58, 65.9%), drug induced (n=20, 22.7%), candidal (n=3, 3.4%), caustic injury (n=2, 2.3%), and herpes simplex virus (HSV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), marginal ulcer, foreign body, and unknown etiology (n=1 of each, 1.1%). The mean size of GERD-induced esophageal ulcers and drug-induced esophageal ulcers was 2.78 and 2.92 cm, respectively; 80.3% of GERD-induced esophageal ulcers and 13.8% of drug-induced esophageal ulcers were located in the lower thoracic esophagus. Morbidity (n=44, 50%) included hemorrhage (n=30, 34%), esophageal stricture (n=11, 12.5%), and esophageal perforation (n=3, 3.4%). Nonoperative therapy sufficed in 81 patients (92%). Three patients (3.4%) had a recurrence of esophageal ulcers. Fifteen patients (17.0%) required endoscopic intervention including esophageal dilatation for stricture in 11 patients and endoscopic hemostasis for esophageal bleeding in four patients. Surgery (n=7, 8.0%) was reserved for esophageal stricture and perforation. Two patients (2.3%) died from complications of esophageal ulcers: hemorrhage in one and perforation in one. Three patients died of their primary disease. GERD and drug ingestion are common causes of esophageal ulcers. Midesophageal ulcers have a greater tendency to hemorrhage compared with ulcers at the gastroesophageal junction; this may reflect the etiology. Strictures complicate GERD-induced esophageal ulcers but not drug-induced esophageal ulcers. Esophageal dilatation is an effective treatment for most strictures associated with esophageal ulcers. Esophageal ulcers rarely cause death.

Adult↗

Esophageal Dilation / Dilators.

Esophageal dilation is the treatment of choice for most patients with esophageal dysphagia (functional and mechanical). Multiple forms of esophageal dilators are available. Mechanical dilators (guidewire/nonguidewire assisted) are the major forms of dilators used. Balloon dilator use has increased but they offer only a marginal advantage over traditional mechanical dilators at a greatly increased cost (2 degrees to single use). Comparative trials are biased in favor of balloon dilators, but balloon dilators are not indicated for empiric dilation for dysphagia. Empiric dilation for solid food dysphagia is still controversial. Dilation is rarely associated with complications and is rarely contraindicated unless previous dilation attempts have been unsuccessful. Special circumstances such as caustic strictures, radiation stricture, and dysphagia associated with eosinophilic esophagitis should engender cautious dilation. Attention to detail about placement of guidewires and stricture type are still critical for safety. Predilation barium studies are not needed in all patients but should be employed if the endoscope is not able to pass the stricture and stricture length and angulation are unknown. Intralesional steroids and proton pump inhibitor therapy are important adjuvant treatments for resistant strictures and reflux associated strictures. Balloon dilation for achalasia is still a viable alternative, but it is likely to decrease in usage with the advent of more widespread laparoscopic myotomy.

Journal Article↗

Pill-induced esophageal strictures: clinical features and risk factors for development.

Clinical data from five subjects with pill-induced esophageal strictures and from the English-language literature on pill-induced esophageal damage were reviewed to determine risk factors for stricture development and to characterize this complication. Including our five cases, 195 patients with pill-induced damage and 39 patients with pill-induced strictures have been reported to date. Seventy-eight percent of the strictures were located in the proximal or mid-esophagus. Potassium chloride or quinidine preparations were incriminated in 60% of cases and were more likely to produce stricture than other medications commonly associated with esophageal damage (e.g., tetracycline). Older age, male gender, left atrial enlargement, ingestion of sustained-release formulations, and prior esophageal structural abnormality were all more commonly present in the subset with strictures (p less than 0.05 for each), even after appropriately controlling for medication. A logistic regression analysis revealed that older age and ingestion of sustained-release formulations were the most significant independent factors associated with stricture development (p less than 0.0001 for each). These findings indicate that stricture formation from pill-induced esophageal damage is dependent upon host-related factors as well as the caustic nature of the pill.

Age Factors↗

Esophageal perforations: a 15 year experience.

A review of 44 patients with 50 esophageal perforations from 1966 through 1980 is presented. The age span was 15 months to 94 years and the male to female ratio was 1 to 1. Each case was studied with regard to presentation, etiology, treatment and complications. Twenty-two cases of esophageal perforation followed instrumentation, including 6 secondary to Mosher bag dilatation for achalasia. Of the remainder, seven patients had spontaneous perforation, five had external trauma, five had intraoperative injury, two had caustic ingestion, and one each had foreign body ingestion, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome and an incarcerated paraesophageal hiatal hernia. Management was nonoperative in 12 patients, primary repair and drainage was performed in 23 patients, and 9 patients underwent drainage and diversion. This series plus 824 patients with esophageal perforation accumulated from a review of the literature emphasizes the importance of the influence of different methods of treatment and time lapse between occurrence and therapy. The type of perforation had no significance on this series. As a result of the experience gained from this series, a treatment protocol is proposed for the management of esophageal perforation.

Adolescent↗

Esophagocoloplasty for cicatricial stenosis after chemical injury.

Our experience with esophageal replacement by transposition of the right colon with a segment of ileum in patients with cicatricial esophageal strictures caused by the ingestion of caustic agents has been discussed. We demonstrated, by means of the D-xylose test, that the length of ileal segment did not adversely affect the absorptive ability of the intestine, which returned to the preoperative level shortly after the operation and even exceeded that level 12 months thereafter.

Adolescent↗

Use of silica gel polymer for DNA extraction with organic solvents.

Phenol and chloroform are the standard solvents used for DNA extraction. These solvents aid in the removal of protein and lipid from crude or partially purified cell extracts. Although the procedure is well established, the solvents are noxious, caustic, and unpleasant. We describe in this paper the use of a special blood collection tube to isolate the offensive organic solvents. With the use of silica gel polymer containing tubes, phenol, phenol:chloroform, or chloroform can be separated from the DNA containing aqueous phase in a rapid and safe manner. The method permits higher yields of DNA since the DNA is poured from the tube rather than aspirated with pipet.

Chemistry Techniques, Analytical↗

Esophagectomy for esophageal disruption.

When esophageal disruption occurs in the presence of preexisting esophageal disease or is associated with sepsis or fluid and electrolyte imbalance, aggressive and definitive therapy often provides the only chance for patient salvage. Twenty-four adults (average age, 59 years) with intrathoracic esophageal perforations underwent esophagectomy: 15, transhiatal esophagectomy without thoracotomy; and 9, transthoracic esophagectomy. Restoration of alimentary continuity with an immediate cervical esophagogastric anastomosis was carried out in 13 patients. Eleven underwent a cervical or anterior thoracic esophagostomy, and 10 of them had a subsequent colonic (7) or gastric (3) interposition from 4 to 32 weeks (average time, 8.6 weeks) later. The perforations were due to esophageal instrumentation (9 patients), acute caustic ingestion (2), emesis (2), intrathoracic esophagogastric anastomotic disruption (2), and other causes (9). Preexisting esophageal disease in 20 patients included chronic strictures (10 patients), reflux esophagitis (3), esophageal cancer (3), achalasia (2), diffuse spasm (2), and monilial esophagitis (1 patient). Ten patients were operated on within 12 hours after the injury; 3, within 12 to 24 hours; and 11, within three to 45 days (average interval, 6.6 days). There were three hospital deaths (13%). Nineteen of the 21 survivors were able to swallow comfortably until the time of death or latest follow-up. Aggressive diagnosis and aggressive treatment of life-threatening esophageal perforations are advocated. Conservative procedures (repair, diversion, or drainage) for a perforation with preexisting esophageal disease often inflict more morbidity than esophageal resection, which eliminates the perforation, the source of sepsis, and the underlying esophageal disease. The decision to restore alimentary continuity in a single stage must be individualized.

Adult↗

Esophageal reconstruction for esophageal strictures or resection after corrosive injury.

A total of 75 esophageal reconstructions were performed for caustic esophageal strictures (65 patients) or postcaustic resection (10 patients) at Naval General Hospital and National Cheng-Kung University Hospital from September 1976 to April 1991. Reconstructive procedures included bypass in 61 patients, replacement of the esophagus through the substernal route in 10, and replacement of the esophagus through the posterior mediastinum in 4. Esophageal substitutes used for reconstruction were a long segment of the ileum and the ascending colon in 42 patients; a short segment of the ileum and the ascending colon in 18; the ascending colon and transverse colon in 3; the ascending, transverse, and left colon in 1; the transverse and left colon in 6; the jejunum in 2; and the stomach in 3. All but two of the esophageal substitutes were isoperistaltic. There were 28 postoperative complications in 24 (32%) of the 75 patients. Cervical anastomotic leakage occurred in 5 patients (6.7%). There were no operative deaths. Postoperatively, swallow function was considered good in 67 patients (89.3%). In this experience, isoperistaltic transposition of the transverse and left colon provided the best results.

Adolescent↗

Thoracoscopic esophagectomy: technique and initial results.

To reduce the high morbidity rate associated with esophageal surgery, we have developed a technique of thoracoscopic esophagectomy. A feasibility study was first carried out in an animal model and a specific instrument was developed for this purpose. Esophagectomy using a right thoracoscopic approach was attempted in 15 patients, 13 males and 2 females whose average age was 48 years. Indications consisted of squamous cell carcinoma in 10 patients, adenocarcinoma in 1, and caustic stenosis in 4. We used a technique that consisted of double-lumen tracheal intubation and the creation of five ports. The whole esophagus was mobilized thoracoscopically and the esophagectomy was completed through the abdomen. The reconstruction was achieved using a gastric pull-through, and the anastomosis was made in the neck. There were three failures: in 1 patient there was a large tumor, making the exposure unsafe, and, in 2 patients, incomplete lung collapse made exposure of the posterior mediastinum difficult. These 3 cases were converted into a thoracotomy. The thoracoscopic dissection was successful in the remaining 12 patients. The average time of the thoracoscopic stage was 125 minutes. The postoperative course was uneventful in 10 patients. Two patients had a left atelectasis. Although our series is limited, these initial results indicate that thoracoscopic esophagectomy is feasible. However, further evaluation of the technique is needed to assess its benefit in terms of respiratory morbidity.

Burns, Chemical↗

En bloc and standard esophagectomies by thoracoscopy.

Subtotal esophagectomy was attempted by right thoracoscopy on 13 patients, 10 having cancer and 3 long caustic stenosis. Thoracoscopy was converted into thoracotomy in 2 patients, owing to loss of selectivity in one-lung ventilation in 1 and injury to a right intercostal artery flush to the aorta in the other. One patient with cancer underwent an esophageal bypass operation only, owing to tumor invasion into the lung at exploratory thoracoscopy. The ten esophagectomies that could be performed in totality by thoracoscopy consisted of seven en bloc resections of the esophagus with extensive lymph node clearance in the posterior mediastinum, and three standard resections without any lymph node dissection. Postoperative complications included one death due to hepatic failure, two cases of acute pneumonitis, and one persistent chest wall discomfort at the trocar sites. Up to 51 lymph nodes were found in the resected specimens of the cancer patients. Six of the 7 cancer patients who were discharged from the hospital after esophagectomy completed by thoracoscopy were alive at 2 to 20 months of follow-up. Five of them were disease free. The study shows that esophageal resections as extensive as those carried out by thoracotomy can be performed by thoracoscopy. It suggests that prompt management of untoward injury to any mediastinal structure adjacent to the esophagus is less easy by thoracoscopy than by thoracotomy, and that classic complications of open thoracic surgery may occur after thoracoscopy as well.

Burns, Chemical↗

Field testing of consumer safety signs: the comprehension of pictorially presented messages.

This paper describes one of a series of studies on the investigation of desirable characteristics of a labelling system for use on potentially dangerous household products. The suitability of a range of signs based on symbolic coding of hazards has been investigated. The hazards investigated were: Fire, Poison, Caustic, Electrical and General. The first stage of the programme involved a survey of all known symbols used for these and similar applications, followed by some preliminary testing to determine a range of symbols for more detailed testing. This subsequent testing of the symbols involved their incorporation into a range of sign variants, with differing colours of image and background together with variations in the shape and colour of enclosure containing symbol. These symbolically coded sign variants were tested in the field using a structured national random sample of 4000 respondents. The data were analyzed using a variable, but systematically controlled, criterion for correct comprehension, which allowed reliable discrimination between certain of the sign variants in terms of comprehension performance. In absolute terms, comprehension of even the best of the signs was not markedly high, ranging from around 20% with s stringent criterion up to 50% if a less stringent criterion of correct comprehension was used. Some of the poorer signs tested failed to achieve better than 5% correct comprehension rate even with a lax criterion for comprehension. Prior experience of the sign was found to enhance comprehension, increasing the correct comprehension rate by a factor of 1.5-2.0 times the correct comprehension rates obtained with those respondents who affirm that they have not seen the sign before.

Journal Article↗

Acute necrotizing esophagitis.

Esophagitis of varying degrees and significance is caused by reflux, infections, radiation, and ingestion of chemical agents. A case of necrotizing esophagitis, seen as a black esophagus on endoscopy in a postoperative patient and resulting in long tubular stricture which ultimately required esophagectomy, is reported. Although the course of necrotizing esophagitis may parallel that associated with ischemia, severe caustic injury, or overwhelming infection, its etiology is uncertain. Diminished mucosal defenses, microbial implantation by a nasogastric tube placed perioperatively or sepsis, and transient ischemia with oxyradical formation and resultant reperfusion injury are hypothesized as important causative factors in the pathogenesis of acute necrotizing esophagitis.

Aged↗