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Severe hypernatremia and gastric dilation from chronic eating disorder and intentional salt ingestion.

Author
Abstract
:

We report the case of a 21-year-old female presenting with severe hypernatremia and a gastric outlet obstruction due to chronic purging behavior with salt water flushes. She presented obtunded following emesis and a witnessed seizure. She was found to have a corrected sodium level of 177 mmol/L. Following initial intubation and resuscitation, her CT imaging showed massive gastric dilation with high-density material in the gastric lumen. After orogastric flushing was unsuccessful and the patient's abdominal distention worsened, she was managed surgically and found to have a salt bezoar leading to bowel ischemia and perforation. This case details the complications and management of acute hypernatremia and gastric outlet obstruction in an otherwise healthy, young female. In a society where eating disorders are pervasive, Emergency Medicine physicians should be familiar with dangerous dietary behaviors as well as the management of their rare, but potentially life-threatening, complications.

Year of Publication
:
2020
Journal
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The American journal of emergency medicine
Volume
:
38
Issue
:
8
Number of Pages
:
1700.e1-1700.e3
ISSN Number
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0735-6757
URL
:
https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0735-6757(20)30312-0
DOI
:
10.1016/j.ajem.2020.04.082
Short Title
:
Am J Emerg Med
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