Esophageal Rupture After Ghost Pepper Ingestion Case: Reminds ER Doctors To Be Aware Of Spontaneous Esophageal Rupture "Boerhaave Syndrome"
Emergency Physicians were advised to be more aware of "spontaneous esophageal rupture" or medically known as Boerhaave syndrome after a reported incident of a man in California who entered a ghost pepper-eating contest landed himself in the hospital with a 1-inch hole in his esophagus.
"This case serves as an important reminder of a potentially life-threatening surgical emergency initially interpreted as discomfort after a large spicy meal," the authors conclude in Journal of Emergency Medicine where the case was published.
What is Boerhaave Syndrome?
Boerhaave first described the spontaneous rupture of the esophagus in 1724. It is a rare condition encountered by emergency physicians, with a high mortality rate. It typically occurs after forceful emesis.
Boerhaave syndrome is a transmural perforation of the esophagus to be distinguished from Mallory-Weiss syndrome, a nontransmural esophageal tear also associated with vomiting.
When patients die from a ruptured esophagus, the cause of death is likely a rapid and fatal infection.
Facts About Ghost Peper
The ghost pepper, or also known as "bhut jolokia," in its native India, is one of the hottest chili peppers in the world with a score "heat" of more than 1,000,000 of Scoville heat units (SHU) which is more than twice as hot as habanero.
Eating a single seed from a ghost pepper can cause severe burning in the mouth that lasts up to 30 minutes.
Ghost pepper ingestion case that leads to esopha Esophageal Rupture
A man who entered a ghost pepper-eating contest was rushed to the Emergency Department (ED) with severe abdominal and chest pain subsequent to violent retching and vomiting.
A CT scan of the man's chest appeared to show of spontaneous esophageal perforation and a left-sided pneumothorax. It means that his esophagus was torn and that his left lung had collapsed. The man was intubated and have been brought to emergency surgery.
During the operation, the surgeons found 1- inch tear in the man's esophagus. The tear was leaking food from the mixture of the hamburger.
The surgeons repaired the man's esophagus and re-inflated his lung, then placed him on a feeding tube so that his esophagus could heal. The patient was extubated on his 14th day in the hospital and on the 23rd day was discharged with a gastric tube in place. The gastric tube was only temporary until the esophagus healed.
Importance of Esophagus
The importance of esophagus is can be observed in as how many times you eat and drink. For everytime you swallow something you will feel your esophagus as it transport your food on your stomach by coordinated contractions of its mascular lining.
This case of Esophageal Rupture After Ghost Pepper Ingestion hopefully served to us to be more cautious in eating ghost pepper. Share this information to your love ones.
