Ingested chicken bone leading to aorto-esophageal fistula

Nawaf J. Shatnawi; Kamal E. Bani-Hani

Abstract

We report a 38-year-old male patient who was referred to King Abdullah University Hospital, Irbid, Jordan with massive upper gastrointestinal bleeding. The bleeding proved to be due to aorto-esophageal fistula caused by accidental ingestion of a chicken wing bone 10 days earlier. The patient died during a salvage thoraco-laparotomy. Primary aorto-esophageal fistula is a very rare but catastrophic condition that is frequently missed preoperatively. A high index of suspicion is needed for early diagnosis, which might improve the chance of survival.

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