A hole in stomach - Drinking cocktail containing nitrogen liquid turned costly for Delhi man

New Delhi: The next time you go to a bar to enjoy a good drink, be cautious, else you would have ended up with a hole in your stomach like this Delhi youth, who accidentally consumed a drink containing liquid nitrogen.

As per a report in Hindustan Times, the 30-year-old, whose identity has not been revealed, had to be rushed to a hospital in Gurgaon after he drank the cocktail with white smoke flowing from it.

The drink, which contained liquid nitrogen that has a boiling point of -195.8 degree Celsius, was to be taken after the smoke dissipates. But he downed the drink in one draught, costing him his health instantly as he experienced extreme pain, abdominal swelling and breathlessness.

Upon arrival at the hospital, doctors operated on him and found that there was a huge hole in his stomach which they said “was open like a book”.

“Consuming liquid nitrogen can cause havoc in a person’s system. By nature, liquid nitrogen expands manifolds and evaporates when left at room temperature. The gas did not have an escape route after the person consumed it and the sphincter closed, this is what led to a perforation (a hole) in his stomach,” Dr Amit Deepta Goswami, consultant of bariatric and minimally invasive surgery at Columbia Asia Hospital, Gurgaon, was quoted as saying by HT.

Dr Goswami, who treated the man, said the man had come to the emergency section of Columbia Asia hospital feeling drowsy and restless.

“His stomach was abnormally swollen. His heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation were all haywire,” he added.

Liquid nitrogen is colourless and is used to instantly freeze food and drinks. It is cold enough to cause severe frostbite upon contact with living tissue.