Ingestion of caustic substances: An analysis of the safety and benefit of a less aggressive protocol

Introduction: The ingestion of a caustic agent is the most common cause of admission after being in contact with a domestic product. A group of patients could be considered low risk and not require aggressive procedures such a corticosteroid administration and endoscopy, especially in the paediatric population. Objective: To evaluate the safety and benefit of a less aggressive protocol for patients defined as low risk. Material and methods: An analytical–observational study conducted on patients who consulted for caustic ingestion between January 2011 and December 2015. Two periods were differentiated according to the current protocol. Period-1: usual protocol (which included admission and parenteral corticosteroid and antibiotic administration) and Period-2: less aggressive protocol for the low risk patients (oral intake test after 6 h and discharged if they remained asymptomatic). Low risk patients were considered as those who met the following criteria: unintentional intake, absence of symptoms and oral lesions. In the rest of the patients the usual protocol was performed. Re-admission with a diagnosis of digestive lesions was considered as a complication. Results: Forty-eight patients were included in period 1, and 35 in period 2. In period 2, thirteen patients met low risk criteria. The adherence to the less aggressive protocol was 100%. None of the low risk patients required admission or endoscopy after discharge. In period 1 the adherence to the usual protocol was 60.4%. Six patients would have benefited from the application of the less aggressive protocol. Conclusions: Adopting a more conservative attitude in low risk patients is safe. These patients benefit from clinical observation, without performing more aggressive measures with their possible iatrogenic adverse effects. Resumen: Introducción: La ingesta de cáusticos es la causa más frecuente de consulta tras el contacto con un producto doméstico. Un grupo de pacientes podría considerarse de bajo riesgo y no recibir corticoides parenterales ni realizársele endoscopia, procedimiento considerado terapéuticamente agresivo, sobre todo en la edad pediátrica. Objetivo: Evaluar la seguridad y el beneficio de un protocolo menos agresivo en los pacientes definidos de bajo riesgo. Material y métodos: Estudio analítico-observacional de los pacientes que consultaron por ingesta de cáustico entre enero de 2011 y diciembre de 2015. Se diferenciaron 2 periodos según el protocolo vigente. Periodo-1: protocolo