Pune man downs liquid nitrogen in drinks, tears stomach, critical

A Pune man downed liquid nitrogen on Friday that tore his abdomen. According to reports, the doctors said that food had spilled out from the stomach, flooding the abdomen and the patient was at a very high risk of contracting a severe life threatening infection.

The condition of the patient when brought to the hospital shocked the doctors. The stomach was torn from the inside and an incision of six inches could be seen.

A city-based hospital recently conducted a life saving procedure on a young man who came with a torn abdomen after allegedly gulping down a drink with liquid nitrogen in it.

The doctors said that food had spilled out from the stomach flooding the abdomen and the patient was at a very high risk of contracting a severe life threatening infection. The team of doctors treating this case was led by Dr Amit Deepta Goswami, head of department general surgery and Dr Mrigank Sharma, senior consultant, bariatric surgery, at Columbia Asia Hospital.

The patient, a 30-year-old man claimed to have ordered a drink that was presented with fumes. When he downed it quickly, he experienced a pain starting in his abdomen with a burning sensation. Perceiving it to be a form of acidity he requested the bar tender for another drink, wanting to squash the burning sensation. When the second drink did not assuage the discomfort and progressed to severe burning sensation and stomach ache, he realised he was in trouble.

The patient said he won’t touch alcohol now.

Speaking to the press, Dr Amit Deepta Goswami, said, “The effect of mixing alcohol and nitrogen can lead to disastrous results. When it is mixed with any cocktail it produces a bubbly and smoky concoction. This is a popular but controversial novelty. The boiling point of this concoction is minus 196 degree Celcius and this makes the consumption potentially lethal.” “This patient came with the most diverse and challenging condition even for doctors to fathom where to start the treatment. Even the slightest delay could have led to fatal consequences and we were faced with a condition, probably one of the first in our careers,” Goswami added.

Dr Ashwini Kumar Handa, gastroenterologist, Columbia Asia Hospital, Pune, said, “In view of all the recent incidents that have occurred, which can be linked to the industry frequently visited by the younger generation, it is the responsibility of lawmakers.”

The condition of the patient brought to the hospital shocked the doctors