A pre-hospital team is managing a 45-year-old male who has ingested a corrosive alkali substance. He has stridor and drooling. What is the critical di...

Question

A pre-hospital team is managing a 45-year-old male who has ingested a corrosive alkali substance. He has stridor and drooling. What is the critical difference between acid and alkali ingestion in terms of tissue damage pattern?

Accepted Answer

Alkali causes liquefactive necrosis - it penetrates deeper into tissues and causes more severe, progressive injury than acid; acid causes coagulative necrosis which forms a protective eschar limiting penetration

Answer

Alkali only affects the mouth, not the oesophagus

Answer

Acid causes more severe injury than alkali

Answer

Both cause identical injury patterns

Answer

Acid causes liquefactive necrosis

uk-dipimc MCQ (SBA): Alkali vs Acid Ingestion

A pre-hospital team is managing a 45-year-old male who has ingested a corrosive alkali substance. He has stridor and drooling. What is the critical difference between acid and alkali ingestion in terms of tissue damage pattern?