Even as ‘liquid nitrogen’ in drinks and food is the latest fad in restaurants, a 30-year-old businessman had to get a portion of his stomach removed because a drink containing liquid nitrogen burnt a hole in his stomach, reported The Times of India.
The businessman was with friends at a pub in Gurgaon when they ordered a cocktail with liquid nitrogen, to make it freeze instantly. The man reportedly gulped the drink even before the smoke coming from the drink evaporated. Almost immediately, he began to complain of uneasiness. By the time he was being taken to the hospital he had turned drowsy and his abdomen became bloated, reported The Times of India.
Tests, at the hospital he had been admitted to in Gurgaon, revealed severe lactic acidosis or high level of lactic acid in the body. A CT scan revealed “large free air in the abdominal cavity due to perforation of either stomach or intestines.” The doctors said the hole in his stomach was “open like a book”, reported Hindustan Times.
Dr Amit D Goswami said he was not hopeful of the man’s survival and had sought the family’s consent for ‘death on table’.
According to the TOI report, the incident took place two months ago and the man, after three days on ventilator post-surgery, is recovering fine.
Dr Mrigank S Sharma, a co-surgeon, warned against the dangers of liquid nitrogen.
It is even colder than the coldest winter night in Antarctica, and will give any human tissue instant frostbite. Moreover, when liquid nitrogen turns from liquid to gas, it expands more than 500 times. If it is swallowed and gets down into the person’s stomach, it could explodeDr Sharma told TOI
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