[Diagnosis and treatment of caustic ingestion]

The acute diagnostic procedures in caustic ingestion are primarily directed towards the recognition of life-threatening complications such as airway obstruction, perforation of inner organs and, in severe acid ingestion, metabolic acidosis. The endoscopic injury grading forms the basis of a differentiated treatment. Not all patients need endoscopic evaluation; the indications are discussed. The treatment is controversial. Fluid given orally is recommended within few minutes of ingestion, and thus rarely administered at the arrival to the hospital. Here, the task is to secure the vital functions and to relieve pain. The prevention of oesophageal stricture in deep, (near)-circumferential ulcerations is essential for the further treatment. Once-formed strictures are usually treated with dilatation.