Resolution of a phytobezoar with Aldoph's Meat Tenderizer

Pharmacotherapy. 2007 Feb;27(2):299-302. doi: 10.1592/phco.27.2.299.

Abstract

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.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Bezoars / diagnosis
  • Bezoars / drug therapy*
  • Drug Combinations
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Papain / therapeutic use*
  • Sodium, Dietary / therapeutic use*
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Drug Combinations
  • Sodium, Dietary
  • meat tenderizer
  • Papain