NEW DELHI (Sputnik) — In April, the 30-year-old man ordered a nitrogen cocktail in Gurugram. Not aware of the correct way to consume it, he gulped it down with the white fumes still over it. Within moments he started feeling uneasy with a bloated stomach and was rushed to a hospital. The patient underwent a major surgery where the damaged parts of his stomach were removed and attached to the small intestines, according to the Doctors who performed the operation.
"A hole had formed because the gas released by drink had no route to escape and the sphincter closed since the function of the sphincter is to prevent movement of acidic contents into the esophagus or to the intestines," Dr. Amit Goswami, the lead surgeon in Columbia Asia Hospital, Gurugram, who performed the surgery, told Sputnik.
Given the large size of the hole and tissue damage, it was not possible for the doctors to stitch back the stomach. They had to remove a portion of it. The man is slowly recovering now and out of danger, Dr. Goswami, said.
"It was a very unusual, perhaps first of its kind case in India. Personally, I have never heard anything like this before except that according to a video on YouTube, in Britain where an 18-year-old teenager faced a similar kind of situation. This Delhi businessman is now completely out of danger and we have observed and watched him for three months now," Dr. Goswami said.
Liquid nitrogen has a boiling point of —196 degree Celsius and is used as a coolant for computers, in medicines to remove unwanted skin warts or to preserve biological samples and materials.
Nowadays, pubs and bars use it to give a "cauldron-effect" to food and drinks, but not many people know its harmful effects.
"The intensely cold gas can give cryogenic burns or cause frostbite when ingested. It can cause severe internal damage, destroy tissue in the mouth and digestive tract. If swallowed in large amounts, which is likely to have happened in this case, it can burst the stomach, the doctor said," Dr. Goswami added.
