Introduction:
Laryngeal burn from hot food ingestion is a rare but potentially life-threatening presentation. It is essential that clinicians have a high index of suspicion of potential airway obstruction in such cases. To our knowledge, this is the only case of fatal laryngeal oedema caused by hot solid food ingestion reported in the literature.
Presentation of case:
A 51 year old male presented to the Emergency Department complaining of a burn to the throat following ingestion of a piping hot fish cake. On initial assessment he reported only mild pain and increased saliva production. There was no evidence of stridor, dysphagia, dyspnoea or aspiration and hence the patient was discharged and advised to return if he experienced any worsening of his symptoms. 2 h later the patient collapsed at home and died due to airway obstruction from delayed laryngeal oedema.
Discussion:
27 cases of laryngeal burn from ingestion of hot food or liquid were identified in the literature. Only one fatality following ingestion of hot liquid has been reported. This is the first documented fatal laryngeal burn due to ingestion of hot solid food. At present, there are no guidelines for the assessment and management of laryngeal contact burns.
Conclusion:
Patients may be relatively asymptomatic immediately after thermal injury to the larynx. Endoscopic examination of the larynx is required to identify laryngeal oedema. Any sign of thermal injury to the laryngeal mucosa warrants admission for observation and definitive management of the airway should be considered.