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Total Gastrointestinal Tract Necrosis After Ingesting a Considerable Amount of Hydrochloric Acid

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Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery

Abstract

Background

It has not been reported that ingesting large amounts of strong acid resulted in total gastrointestinal tract necrosis. Here we describe a case of a man with total gastrointestinal tract necrosis after ingestion of a considerable amount of hydrochloric acid.

Discussion

Computed tomography (CT) scan showed significant free air in the neck, lateral esophagus, and abdominal cavity, which indicated perforation of the esophagus and gastrointestinal tract. In addition, the abdominal CT image showed splenic subcapsular hematorna and swollen pancreatic head caused by strong acid causis. We found the entire gastrointestinal tract from stomach to rectum necrosis in the emergency exploratory laparotomy. Our case suggests that ingestion of a considerable amount (e.g., 500 mL) and concentration of strong acid could result in total gastrointestinal tract necrosis. Emergency laparotomy should be performed as early as possible to benefit this kind of patient.

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Acknowledgments

We are thankful to the patient’s family members for their kind permission to publish the data and figures.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou, 325003, Zhejiang Province, China

    Qiqiang Zeng, Hongzhong Zhou, Mengtao Zhou, Shaoliang Han & Qiyu Zhang

  2. Radiological Department, The First Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou, 325003, Zhejiang Province, China

    Xiangwu Zheng

  3. Department of Emergency, The First Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou, 325003, Zhejiang Province, China

    Zhangping Li

Authors
  1. Qiqiang Zeng
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  2. Hongzhong Zhou
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  3. Xiangwu Zheng
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  4. Zhangping Li
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  5. Mengtao Zhou
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  6. Shaoliang Han
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  7. Qiyu Zhang
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Qiyu Zhang.

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Zeng, Q., Zhou, H., Zheng, X. et al. Total Gastrointestinal Tract Necrosis After Ingesting a Considerable Amount of Hydrochloric Acid. J Gastrointest Surg 13, 578–580 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11605-008-0524-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11605-008-0524-9

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