Assessment of Diagnostic and Treatment Protocols in Patients Suffering from Burns by Swallowing Caustic Substances in Loghman Medical Center

The use of burning substances is common in our country. Burns caused by the ingestion of caustic substances are potentially one of the most debilitating injuries of the industrial, which can place a great burden on the patient and the health system.To diagnose and treat these patients, it is necessary for surgeon from different fields to cooperate, including surgeons, gastroenterologists, otolaryngologists, and radiologists. Delay in the diagnosis and treatment of full-thickness necrosis of the esophagus and stomach is one of the important factors in the prognosis of patients In fact, the amount of delay in surgery can be considered as a predictor of mortality in these patients. Ingestion of caustic substances leads to tissue damage within the first few seconds. At the beginning of the disease, bleeding, thrombosis and inflammation with edema are the dominant tissue processes. Severe burns can lead to focal areas of necrosis with the risk of perforation. Routinely, after conducting preliminary investigations and in the absence of clear signs of respiratory distress and clinical symptoms of the neck, chest and abdomen, it is recommended to perform an endoscopy in the first 24 hours, and based on the results of the endoscopy, the necessary treatment decision is made. The diversity in the existing guidelines in this field and the relatively uncommon occurrences in medical centers are the reason for the lack of a fixed protocol in the treatment of these patients. For this reason, treatment methods in many centers are different from each other.