Surgical management of corrosive-induced gastric injury in children: 10years' experience

A clinical consensus paper on jejunal tube feeding in children

BACKGROUND

Feeding problems are common in children with complex medical problems or acute critical illness and enteral nutrition may be required. In certain situations, gastric tube feeding is poorly tolerated or may not be feasible. When feed intolerance persists despite appropriate adjustments to oral and gastric enteral regimens, jejunal tube feeding can be considered as an option for nutrition support.

METHODS

A multidisciplinary expert working group of the Australasian Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition was convened. They identified topic questions and five key areas of jejunal tube feeding in children. Literatures searches were undertaken on Pubmed, Embase, and Medline for all relevant studies, between January 2000 and September 2022 (n = 103). Studies were assessed using National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines to generate statements, which were discussed as a group, followed by voting on statements using a modified Delphi process to determine consensus.

RESULTS

A total of 24 consensus statements were created for five key areas: patient selection, type and selection of feeding tube, complications, clinical use of jejunal tubes, follow-up, and reassessment.

CONCLUSION

Jejunal tube feeding is a safe and effective means of providing nutrition in a select group of pediatric patients with complex medical needs, who are unable to be fed by gastric tube feeding. Appropriate patient selection is important as complications associated with jejunal tube feeding are not uncommon, and although mostly minor, can be significant or require tube reinsertion. All children receiving jejunal tube feeding should have multidisciplinary team assessment and follow-up.

The safety and efficacy of the trans-umbilical approach for pyloroplasty in the management of post-acid corrosive gastric outlet obstruction in children

Background

Gastric outlet obstruction (GOO) may follow acid corrosive ingestion. Several surgical techniques have been reported after the failure of endoscopic dilatation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of Heinecke-Mikulicz pyloroplasty (HMP) through a circum-umbilical skin incision in children with pyloric stricture after accidental acid corrosive ingestion.

Results

Seven patients were males and 4 were females, their ages ranged from 17 months to 6 years at the time of definitive treatment. The surgery was completed successfully in all patients through the circum-umbilical incision. Vertical extension of skin incision was needed in one patient. The pylorus was grossly affected in 9 patients. Both pylorus and gastric antrum were involved in 2 patients. Nine patients had an excellent postoperative course with the cessation of vomiting and progressive weight gain. One patient developed postoperative recurrent stricture treated by gastrojejunostomy. Another patient with associated esophageal stricture responded to repeated endoscopic dilatation for the esophageal stricture and pyloroplasty for the pyloric stricture. No surgical site infection or wound dehiscence occurred in any patient.

Conclusion

Heinecke-Mikulicz pyloroplasty through a circum-umbilical approach is both feasible and safe in the majority of children with post-acid corrosive GOO. It is associated with satisfactory wound healing and excellent cosmetic outcome. Different techniques are recommended in cases of severe pyloric stricture associated with significant proximal gastric antral scarring.

Corrosive upper gastrointestinal strictures in children: Difficulties and dilemmas

Children constitute 80% of all corrosive ingestion cases. The majority of this burden is contributed by developing countries. Accidental ingestion is common in younger children (< 5 years) while suicidal ingestion is more common in adolescents. The severity of injury depends on nature of corrosive (alkali or acid), pH, amount of ingestion and site of exposure. There are multiple doubts and dilemmas which exist in management of both acute ingestion and chronic complications. Acute ingestion leads to skin, respiratory tract or upper gastrointestinal damage which may range from trivial to life threatening complications. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy is an important early investigation to decide for further course of management. The use of steroids for prevention of stricture is a debatable issue. Upper gastrointestinal stricture is a common long-term sequelae of severe corrosive injury which usually develops after three weeks of ingestion. The cornerstone of management of esophageal strictures is endoscopic bougie or balloon dilatations. In case of resistant strictures, newer adjunctive therapies like intralesional steroids, mitomycin and stents can be utilized along with endoscopic dilatation. Surgery is the final resort for strictures resistant to endoscopic dilatations and adjunctive therapies. There is no consensus on best esophageal replacement conduit. Pyloric strictures require balloon dilatation , failure of which requires surgery. Patients with post-corrosive strictures should be kept in long term follow-up due to significantly increased risk of carcinoma. Despite all the endoscopic and surgical options available, management of corrosive stricture in children is a daunting task due to high chances of recurrence, perforation and complications related to poor nutrition and surgery.

Experience in reconstruction of esophagus, epiglottis, and upper trachea due to caustic injuries in pediatric patients and establishment of algorithm

BACKGROUND

Unintentional swallowing of corrosive agents cause problems in the pediatric population. Swallowing dysfunction can be seen after injuring the pharynx and/or epiglottis which leads to the obstruction of esophagus. An algorithm was established taking into account the injury to the epiglottis and restoring gastrointestinal continuity with isolated or combine free and or supercharged jejunum flap, or supercharged colon transposition flap.

METHODS

Seventeen patients between the ages of 3 and 16 (mean age: 7.7) were treated between 1985 and 2019. Three different procedures were performed based on endoscopic findings; for patients with no or minimal damage to epiglottis, pedicled colon transposition was done in 12 cases. For patients with epiglottic scarring or edema, a two-stage reconstruction was performed. In the first stage, free jejunum flap was implemented to the pharynx to facilitate food passage, followed by a pedicled jejunum in two cases, or a pedicled colon transposition in two cases to provide gastrointestinal continuity. For one patient with severe epiglottic scarring, a free jejunal flap was used as a diversion conduit in the first stage, followed by supercharged colon transposition to restore gastrointestinal continuity.

RESULTS

Supercharged intestinal flaps were harvested with 3-4 cm of extra intestinal tissue than the measured thoracic portion in each individual in order to reach the hypopharyngeal region. The size of the free jejunal flaps were 10 cm. Oral feeding was initiated on the eighth postoperative day. Partial loss of the anterior wall of the jejunal flap was seen in one case, in which a free anterolateral thigh-vastus lateralis musculocutaneous flap was used for reconstruction. The mean follow-up time was 5.1 years and there was no stricture in the final outcome.

CONCLUSION

A competent epiglottis is essential for proper swallowing reflex. Meticulous microsurgical dissection and performing supercharged intestinal flaps provide a complication-free end result.

Paediatric chemical burns: a clinical review

Although they account for a small proportion of burns in paediatrics, injuries from chemicals can be just as devastating as other mechanisms of burn injury. At least 25,000 chemicals exist which can cause burns: in children, they are often caused by household chemicals via accidental exposure. The mechanism by which corrosive substances produce chemical burns highlights the importance of early and plentiful irrigation of the burn area, removal of contaminated clothes and careful clinical assessment. Surgical intervention is uncommon but often follows the principles for thermal burns. This article reviews the aetiology, incidence, clinical presentation, management, complications and prevention of chemical burns. What is Known • Chemical burns in paediatrics are often caused by accidental exposure to chemicals available at home • Differences in the pathophysiology of chemical burns reinforces the need for early irrigation What is New • New irrigation fluids show promise in adults and need further study in children • The nature of chemical cutaneous burns can make assessment of wound depth difficult. Laser Doppler Imaging (LDI) is an accurate technique that can be used clinically to determine burn depth in thermal burns and is an area of future interest in the assessment of chemical burns.

Surgical management of esophageal stenosis due to ingestion of corrosive substances

BACKGROUND

Corrosive ingestion is a significant challenge for healthcare systems. Limited data are available regarding the best treatments, and there remains a lack of consensus about the optimal surgical approach and its outcomes. This study aims to review the current literature and show a single institution's experience regarding the surgical treatment of esophageal stenosis due to corrosive substance ingestion.

METHODS

A retrospective review that accounted for demographics, psychiatric profiles, surgical procedures, and outcomes was performed. A systematic review of the literature was performed using PubMed.

RESULTS

In total, 27 surgical procedures for esophageal stenosis due to corrosive substance ingestion were performed from 2010 to 2019. Depression and drug abuse were diagnosed in 30% and 22% of the included patients, respectively. Esophagectomies and esophageal bypasses were performed in 13 and 14 patients, respectively. No 30-day mortality was recorded.

CONCLUSION

Surgical intervention either by esophagectomy or esophageal bypass results in durable relief from dysphagia. However, successful clinical outcomes depend on a high-quality multidisciplinary network of esophageal and thoracic surgeons, intensivists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and nutritional teams.

Gastric stricture following corrosive agent ingestion: A case report

INTRODUCTION

Gastric stricture due to corrosive ingestion is a rare cause of obstruction in the upper gastrointestinal tract in children. However, only a few reports highlight the management of the stricture of the gastric antrum and pylorus, i.e. gastric outlet obstruction (GOO) due to corrosive ingestion, particularly in children.

PRESENTATION OF CASE

We report a 1-year-old male who presented with chief complaints of upper abdominal pain and profuse vomiting after accidentally ingesting sulfuric acid one month prior. On physical examination, minimal epigastric distension was found. Endoscopic examination showed oesophagitis, erosive gastritis, multiple gastric ulcers and suspicion of pyloric stricture. We decided to perform an exploratory laparotomy and found severe strictures from the major curvature to the gastric pylorus. Subsequently, we conducted gastrojejunostomy and Braun anastomosis. The patient was discharged on the eighth postoperative day uneventfully.

DISCUSSION

Endoscopy is a reliable technique for assessing upper digestive tract mucous membranes after caustic agent ingestion because it helps in making a definitive diagnosis, especially to define the anatomic location and injury severity. The timing and type of surgery for GOO is controversial. We performed Braun anastomosis in addition to gastrojejunostomy because of several advantages over other surgical methods.

CONCLUSION

We recommend choosing an appropriate supporting examination to precisely diagnose gastric stricture due to corrosive ingestion. Gastojejunostomy and Braun anastomosis show a good outcome for gastric stricture due to corrosive ingestion, particularly in children.

Heineke-Mikulicz pyloroplasty for isolated pyloric stricture caused by corrosive ingestion in children

Corrosive ingestion in children is a common problem in low income countries. These agents cause injuries and later strictures of esophagus and stomach. Gastric outlet obstruction is known complication of acids and surgery is the mainstay of treatment. There are multitude of surgical options for these strictures depending on the involved segment of the stomach and experience of the surgeon. Here we present three cases of children who accidentally ingested acid stored in soda bottles and subsequently developed isolated pyloric strictures. These cases presented between August 2018 and April 2019 to our facility, a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. All three patients had an initial latent period of one to two weeks following corrosive ingestion, after which symptoms of gastric outlet obstruction appeared. Intraoperatively, all three had normal esophagus and antrum but scarred and strictured pylorus. Heineke-Mikulicz pyloroplasty was done in these cases without complications and the outcomes were satisfactory.

Pediatric gastric perforation beyond neonatal period: 8-year experience with 20 patients

BACKGROUND

To describe the characteristics, treatments, and prognosis of pediatric gastric perforation patients beyond neonatal period.

METHODS

Twenty pediatric patients beyond neonatal period were included in this study. Medical records were reviewed and clinical characteristics were analyzed. According to the outcomes, patients were divided into the survival group and the death group. Death time was documented, and survival patients were followed up. The degree of severity was calculated using pediatric critical illness score (PCIS). Differences between the two groups were analyzed by the Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney test and Chi-square test appropriately.

RESULTS

Gastric perforation was diagnosed in 20 pediatric patients beyond neonatal period, including 6 males (30%) and 14 females (70%), with the age of 37.18 (15.90, 107.12) months, and the range was from 4.30 months to 14.17 years old. They had different manifestations, etiologies, sites of perforation and surgery procedures. Among the 20 cases, 14 (70%) survived and 6 (30%) died. Age, gender, length and number of perforation had no statistically difference between the two groups. However, PCIS, ischemia of gastrointestinal wall, and transmural necrosis of gastric wall were statistically different. For the survival group, during a follow-up period of 50 (36, 68) months, ranging from 2 months to 8 years and 7 months, one patient had a second-time perforation, another 3 patients had brain injury symptoms, and the rest 10 patients had good quality of lives.

CONCLUSIONS

Gastric perforation of pediatric patients beyond neonatal period causes a mortality of 30% on this study. Spontaneous great curvature of gastric wall perforation has the highest morbidity. Low PCIS predicts for unfavorable prognosis. Most of the survival patients have satisfactory living quality after operation.

Esophageal caustic injuries in pediatrics: a sobering global health issue

Caustic material ingestion by children is considered a global healthcare issue, especially in low-to-middle income countries. The aim of this article was to review the epidemiology, prevention, and management of caustic material ingestion in pediatric patients, comparing low-to-middle income countries with high-income countries. We conducted an English literature review using PubMed with the following keywords: (caustic OR corrosive) AND ingestion AND (pediatric OR pediatric). Our search retrieved 253 citations; all abstracts were screened by the authors, and 52 articles were finally included in our review. Prevention is key in tackling this issue, but legislation is scarce in low-to-middle income countries. Diagnosis of caustic ingestion is mostly achieved using flexible endoscopy, computed tomography, and endoscopic ultrasound, but access is limited in low-to middle income countries and diagnosis is often delayed. After stabilizing patients, the mainstay of treatment is graded endoscopic dilatation, and rarely, esophageal replacement. We concluded that caustic ingestion represents a serious condition where prevention is the key. Once a child suffers an injury, rapid and careful evaluation of the injury with endoscopy, and a course of close observation and dilations if needed, will often avoid esophageal replacement. When necessary, the stomach is the best first option if it is viable, followed by the colon, and finally, the jejunum.