Premium
Resolution of a Phytobezoar with Aldoph's Meat Tenderizer
Author(s) -
Baker Erica L.,
Baker William L.,
Cloney David J.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
pharmacotherapy: the journal of human pharmacology and drug therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.227
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1875-9114
pISSN - 0277-0008
DOI - 10.1592/phco.27.2.299
Subject(s) - phytobezoar , bezoar , medicine , flatulence , esophagogastroduodenoscopy , surgery , cholecystectomy , bloating , hiatal hernia , general surgery , endoscopy , nausea , reflux , disease
A 58‐year‐old man went to his physician with complaints of midepigastric pain, flatulence, belching, and shortness of breath. During a physical examination, the patient was in no acute distress. The patient underwent an ultrasound examination, which revealed cholelithiasis, a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, which revealed chronic gallbladder disease, and esophagogastroduodenoscopy, which revealed gastritis, a hiatal hernia, and a phytobezoar. To treat the bezoar, the patient was given Adolph's Meat Tenderizer 1 teaspoonful in 8 oz of water before each meal for 7 days. This product contains papain, a proteolytic enzyme, that is thought to cleave protein linkages within bezoars. The patient's symptoms resolved with no adverse events reported, and follow‐up endoscopy revealed resolution of the phytobezoar. Although a few other agents are used to treat phytobezoars, little clinical data exist on their safety and effectiveness. Adolph's Meat Tenderizer appears to be a safe and effective treatment for patients with a phytobezoar.