• Nokjung Kim, Han Na Lee, Jung Im Kim, So Youn Shin, and Sung Wook Kang.
• Department of Radiology, Kyung Hee University Hospital.
• Medicine (Baltimore). 2020 Dec 11; 99 (50): e23586.

RationaleTracheobronchial injury from acid ingestion is a less reported clinical presentation than injury of the gastrointestinal tract, but it can occur due to direct exposure from acid aspiration and cause fatal complications.Patient ConcernsA 43-year-old man presented to the emergency department after ingesting nitric acid complaining of chest pain and dyspnea.DiagnosesThe initial chest computed tomography (CT) images revealed an acute lung injury related to acid aspiration. The follow-up chest CT showed acute and late tracheobronchial injures.InterventionsBronchoscopy showed deep caustic airway injuries consisting of hemorrhage, sloughing of the mucosa, and ulceration of the trachea and left-side bronchial tree.OutcomesProgressive narrowing of the left main bronchus with total collapse of the left lung occurred as a late complication of acid ingestion.LessonsTracheobronchial injury should be considered in cases of aspiration pneumonia after acid ingestion; chest CT can be used to detect and assess acute and late complications of tracheobronchial injuries.

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