Six-year-old African girl suffering from accidental corrosive ingestion successfully treated at Bengaluru hospital

A six-year-old girl, a native of Chad in Africa, whose food pipe got damaged after she accidentally consumed an acidic floor cleaning liquid, has got a new lease of life following successful treatment at a private hospital in the city.

A six-year-old girl, a native of Chad in Africa, whose food pipe got damaged after she accidentally consumed an acidic floor cleaning liquid, has got a new lease of life following successful treatment at a private hospital in the city.

The girl Farah (name changed) had been feeding from an external tube inserted in her abdomen for the past two years as her food pipe was completely burnt due to the accident. She was recently referred to Fortis Bannerghatta Road and has been successfully treated.

The girl was leading a normal life two years ago, until she accidentally consumed the acidic cleaning liquid which was lying on the floor while playing at her home. The corrosive liquid instantly burnt the girl’s food pipe and a part of her small intestine. She was immediately rushed to a local hospital where the doctors removed a part of her damaged food pipe and created an opening in her abdomen to directly feed her small intestine through a tube. For over two years, the little girl was dependent on the  feeding tube. 

On admission at the hospital, the girl underwent an Esophago-Gastro-Duodenoscopy (a camera test done to examine the upper digestive system) which revealed that the connection between the esophagus (food pipe) and the stomach had narrowed due to charring of the food pipe.

Manish Joshi, Chief Surgical Gastroenterologist, HPB and Bariatric Surgeon, Advanced Laparoscopic and Robotic Surgeon at the hospital, said an extremely complex procedure was carried out to entirely reconstruct the girl’s food pipe. “We did an esophagectomy, involving intricate surgical steps such as removal of the damaged portion of the esophagus (food pipe) and cutting a part of the stomach to create a gastric conduit (tube). This conduit was then meticulously attached to the remaining esophagus (unburnt food pipe), reconstructing the passage for food and liquids,” he explained.

An endoscopic CRE (Controlled Radial Expansion) dilation was also performed wherein an expandable balloon catheter is inserted endoscopically to correct / expand the narrowed connection between the esophagus and the stomach. The patient was able to consume fluids orally post the procedure and was discharged the next day in a stable condition, he said.