Acute Esophageal Necrosis (Gurvits Syndrome): A Rare Complication of Diabetic Ketoacidosis in a Critically Ill Patient

Abstract

Acute esophageal necrosis (AEN) is a rare clinical diagnosis that primarily affects the distal third of the esophagus. AEN causes odynophagia, leading to decreased oral intake and food avoidance. AEN can arise in critically ill patients with multiple comorbidities and is an uncommon complication of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). We present a case of a young female with poorly controlled, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus type 2 who developed odynophagia, small volume coffee-ground emesis, and inability to tolerate oral intake after resolution of DKA. She was found to have esophagitis with esophageal necrosis in the middle third of the esophagus on upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. She was subsequently treated with fluid resuscitation and gastric acid suppression and improved clinically with slow advancements in her diet. The location of her lesion in the more vascularized middle one-third of the esophagus and lack of significant blood pressure variations during her hospital stay make her case unique. Thus, AEN should be considered in the differential diagnosis for critically ill patients who present with vague symptoms such as odynophagia and gastrointestinal bleeding.