Management of Caustic Ingestion and Esophageal Injury
Summary
Management of caustic ingestion centres on prompt assessment, graded intervention and long-term surveillance to prevent morbidity and mortality. Initial stabilisation requires airway protection, fluid resuscitation and pain control, with the decision for endoscopic evaluation guided by clinical severity. Early oesophagogastroduodenoscopy within 12–24 hours allows precise grading of mucosal damage, which in turn informs the need for intensive care, nutritional support and prophylactic antibiotics. Severe injuries risk transmural necrosis, perforation and stricture formation; prevention of strictures depends on timely dilation or stenting and maintenance of luminal patency. Multidisciplinary collaboration among emergency physicians, gastroenterologists, surgeons and nutritionists is essential. Nutritional strategies span nasogastric feeding in the acute phase to gastrostomy for long-term support in cases of recurrent strictures. Rehabilitation of swallowing function and psychological support are integral to comprehensive care. Globally, variations in substance availability and healthcare resources necessitate adaptable protocols underpinned by classification schemes and consensus recommendations.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Management of Caustic Ingestion and Esophageal Injury publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in management of caustic ingestion and esophageal injury across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Caustic agent: A chemical substance that causes tissue damage by liquefaction or coagulation necrosis upon contact.
Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD): An endoscopic procedure to visualise and grade injuries of the oesophagus, stomach and duodenum.
Stricture: A pathological narrowing of the oesophageal lumen due to scar formation after mucosal injury.
Perforation: A full-thickness breach of the oesophageal wall allowing leakage of luminal contents into surrounding tissues.
Mucosal injury grading: A structured classification of endoscopic findings that predicts the risk of complications and guides therapy.
References
- Use of Antibiotics in Poisonous Ingestions of Corrosives and Organophosphates: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Toxics (2023).
- Caustic ingestion in adults: The role of endoscopic classification in predicting outcome. BMC Gastroenterology (2008).
- The effects of endoscopic-guided balloon dilations in esophageal and gastric strictures caused by corrosive injuries. BMC Gastroenterology (2013).
- Foregut caustic injuries: results of the world society of emergency surgery consensus conference. World Journal of Emergency Surgery (2015).
- Acute emergency care and airway management of caustic ingestion in adults: single center observational study. Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine (2016).
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.