The Public Health Impact of Pediatric Caustic Ingestion Injuries

Abstract

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, lye became commercially available for household use.1 Consequently, an increasing number of injuries due to caustic ingestion were encountered by physicians. These injuries represent a source of significant morbidity and mortality in the pediatric population. For children with a history strongly indicative of an accidental caustic ingestion or with symptoms of a caustic ingestion, endoscopy is recommended and is the primary method of staging the extent of injury after ingestion.2 Acute injuries can range from mild esophageal burns to necrosis and perforation of the esophagus and/or stomach.