Current practices in the management of corrosive ingestion in children: A questionnaire-based survey and recommendations

Background and Aim Corrosive ingestion causes significant morbidity in children with no standard guidelines regarding management. This survey aimed to understand practices adopted by gastroenterologists, identify lacunae in evaluation and management and suggest a practical algorithm. Methods Indian gastroenterologists participated in an online survey (65 questions) on managing corrosive ingestion. When >= 50% of respondents agreed on a management option, it was considered as 'agreement'. Results Ninety-eight gastroenterologists (72 pediatric) who had managed a total of similar to 2600 corrosive ingestions in the last 5 years responded. The commonest age group affected was 2-5 years (61%). Majority of ingestion was accidental (89%) with 80% due to improper corrosive storage. Ingestion of alkali and acid was equally common (alkali 41%, acid 39%, unknown 20%). History of inducing-vomiting after ingestion by community physicians was present in 57%. There was an agreement on 77% of questions. The respondents agreed on endoscopy (70%) and chest X-ray (67%) in all, irrespective of symptoms. Endoscopy was considered safe on days 1-5 after ingestion (91%) and relatively contraindicated thereafter. The consensus was to use acid suppression, always (59%); steroids, never (68%) and antibiotics, if indicated (59%). Feeding was based on endoscopic findings: oral in mild injuries and nasogastric (NG) in others. Eighty percent placed a NG tube under endoscopic guidance. Stricture dilatation was considered safe after 4 weeks of ingestion. Agreement on duration of acid suppression and stricture management (dilatation protocol and refractory strictures) was lacking. Conclusion Corrosive ingestion mostly affects 2-5-year olds and is accidental in majority. It can be potentially prevented by proper storage and labelling of corrosives. An algorithm for management is proposed.