A Case of Black Esophagus in a Patient Presenting With Dyspnea

Acute esophageal necrosis (AEN), also known as “black esophagus,” is a rare clinical condition marked by severe damage and death of the tissue lining the esophagus. During endoscopy, AEN typically presents with a blackened appearance. Risk factors for AEN include esophageal ischemia in the setting of multi-organ dysfunction, sepsis, hypoperfusion, vasculopathy, traumatic transection of the thoracic aorta, thromboembolic phenomena, gastric volvulus, diabetic ketoacidosis, alcohol intoxication, or malignancy. Here, we report a case of AEN diagnosed in a patient presenting with dyspnea and diabetic ketoacidosis who had not been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus previously.