Abstract

INTRODUCTION

It is unclear whether esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) should be performed early on in patients receiving caustic substances. In this study, the relationship between white blood cell (WBC) counts and patients with early EGD and upper gastrointestinal system injuries was investigated.

METHODS

Patients who applied for urgent care with caustic ingestion between January 2011 and December 2014 were retrospectively investigated. The esophageal, gastric and duodenal injuries were graded according to the method of Zargar. Zargar grade 0 and 1 injuries were defined as low scores and others were defined as high scores (grade 2a to 3b injuries). The WBC counts in these patients have been studied.

RESULTS

173 of 242 patients were excluded from the research. Our research was conducted with 69 patients. The most common caustic agent ingested was alkaline (66.7%). The number and severity of duodenal injuries was less than that of esophagus and stomach. Sensitivity and specificity values for patients with WBC count ≥11.95 K/μL was found to be 64% and 91%.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

High white blood cell count in patients with caustic exposure can be an important predictor of the severity of injury and the need for early esophagogastroduodenoscopy.