Spontaneous Closure of Tracheobronchial Esophageal Fistula Acquired by Accidental Ingestion of Lithium Battery. Manuel Ascencio Villarroel Children's Hospital, Cochabamba, 2012

Abstract

The behavior and treatment of the case of accidental ingestion of lithium was presented and analyzed in a two years and eleven months old pediatric patient. In order to educate the family and children about the danger of letting near the reach of children metal objects such as needles, coins, or, as in this case, a lithium batteries, it is necessary to know the speed and the damage producing in the mucosal level because attackers components by chemical reactions, in addition, to identify and manage behavior in similar symptoms, considering the difficulty in diagnosing and treating unconventional pathologies. The patient was admitted with early and abundant salivation, nausea, coughing and difficult breathing, laboratory studies and auxiliary diagnostic methods were performed: 1) CXR; 2) Endoscopic removal of foreign body; 3) Watersoluble contrast esophagogram. The progress of the case in the space of 24 hours between the first endoscopy report a wrong diagnosis and the second confirmatory endoscopy was crucial to produce necrosis of esophageal and tracheal mucosa causing the late submission of tracheoesophageal fistula. Subsequent studies confirmed the radiological contrasted tracheoesophageal perforation and subsequent spontaneous closure of tracheoesophageal fistula.