Molecular gastronomy is an art. Sure, the use of liquid nitrogen to enhance your food and drink is one part of it, but this incident that took place in a Delhi bar on Sunday night may want you to consider knowing the do’s and don’ts before you consume something extravagant.
As reported in Hindustan Times, a 30-year-old was rushed to a Gurugram hospital after he consumed a drink that contained liquid nitrogen.
Normal rules suggest that if you do order a drink with liquid nitrogen that has a boiling point of -196 degrees Celsius, it’s advisable to wait for the smoke to dissipate before you consume your drink. However, the man, who has not been identified, 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.
