[Acute necrotizing esophagitis - a rare condition that may lead to life-threatening perforation of the esophagus].

Perforated acute necrotizing esophagitis is a condition with several proposed etiological factors, hypothesized to be caused by weakened mucosal defence mechanisms and hemodynamic insult, leading to subsequent ischemia. We present a patient with acute necrotizing esophagitis, where underlying cardiovascular comorbidity and patient delay serve as potential contributing causal factors to the perforation. To prevent subsequent circulo-respiratory collapse and multi-organ failure, emergency esophagectomy was required, given that control of persistent leakage and mediastinitis was unlikely if managed conservatively.