Lye ingestion. Clinical patterns and therapeutic implications

Conventional treatment of caustic esophagitis consists of early endoscopy to the first site of injury followed by antibiotic and steroid therapy, with early mechanical dilatation to prevent stricture formation. The failure of this approach in two recent patients led us to review our overall experience with the management of patients who had ingested lye or other caustic substances. Of 42 patients treated at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center between 1970 and 1980, seven sustained severe esophageal burns. All had intractable strictures despite steroids, antibiotics, and, in three cases, attempts at dilatation. We conclude that patient survival should not be jeopardized by overly aggressive attempts to salvage an extensively damaged esophagus. Such attempts will probably prove both futile and dangerous, and effective re-establishment of oral-intestinal continuity is now possible by a variety of techniques.