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Esophageal rupture secondary to blunt trauma in a child

Arbinder K Singhal1, Veereshwar Bhatnagar

  • 1Department of Paediatric Surgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.

Tropical Gastroenterology : Official Journal of the Digestive Diseases Foundation
|August 12, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Blunt trauma can cause life-threatening esophageal perforation, even in children. This case highlights a rare instance in an 8-year-old, detailing successful conservative and surgical management of esophageal rupture and splenic tear.

Area of Science:

  • Gastroenterology
  • Trauma Surgery
  • Pediatric Surgery

Background:

  • Esophageal perforation is a severe condition with high mortality.
  • Blunt trauma is an uncommon cause of esophageal perforation.
  • Pediatric esophageal injuries are rare and present unique challenges.

Observation:

  • An 8-year-old boy experienced blunt chest and abdominal trauma.
  • The trauma resulted in both a splenic tear and esophageal rupture.
  • The splenic injury was managed non-operatively.

Findings:

  • Esophageal rupture was initially treated with intercostal tube drainage, followed by surgical repair.
  • A post-operative suture line leak was managed conservatively.
  • The patient achieved full oral intake despite a small, contained leak.

Implications:

  • This case represents the youngest reported patient with esophageal rupture due to blunt trauma.
  • It underscores the possibility of esophageal injury from blunt trauma, even in pediatric cases.
  • The successful management highlights a potential treatment pathway for similar rare injuries.

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