The 34-year-old man from Mexico survived after emergency surgery, but doctors are warning of the dangers of these popular cocktails.
Jandira Sonnendeck/UnsplashLiquid nitrogen can be safe as a theatrical flourish, but it can cause major damage when consumed improperly.
Liquid nitrogen-infused cocktails are a fairly common staple of modern bars, but while most people consider this smoky flair to be a harmless addition, the truth is quite the opposite.
Recently, a 34-year-old man in Mexico was admitted to the hospital due to intense pain he felt in his stomach after drinking a liquid nitrogen cocktail at a bar. As it turned out, the drink had ruptured his stomach.
So, what caused this to happen?
Consuming Liquid Nitrogen Can Be Incredibly Dangerous
While the effect created by adding liquid nitrogen to a drink is undoubtedly cool and makes for a good photo for social media, it comes with some serious risks. Unlike an actual smoked drink — one made using wood chips and a butane torch, for example — imbibers are supposed to wait for the liquid nitrogen “smoke” to fully disperse before taking a sip.
Unfortunately, people sometimes skip this step.
Liquid nitrogen is, as the name suggests, the liquid form of nitrogen gas, frozen at extremely cold temperatures below -320.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Just as ice will return to its liquid state (water) when it’s exposed to above-freezing temperatures, liquid nitrogen will revert back to its gaseous form as it warms, expanding nearly 700 times in volume. And if it’s consumed while that process is still ongoing, the gas can expand in your stomach.
Once that starts to happen, immediate surgery is typically required. Otherwise, the abdomen could distend, crush other organs, and cause respiratory failure.
In the case of the 34-year-old man in Mexico, a medical report notes that in addition to abdominal pain, the patient also began to sweat profusely and became lethargic. His heart rate spiked to the abnormal rate of 124 beats per minute, and his body temperature dropped to 95.7 degrees Fahrenheit.
Luckily, he arrived at the hospital in time to receive help.
Medical Intervention Saved The Man’s Life
Doctors set out to determine if there was a perforation in the man’s stomach, listening for signs of air as they tapped on his abdomen in search of high-pitched “tympanic” sounds. (In contrast, solid or liquid-containing organs would produce a “dull” sound when tapped.) Alarmingly, they found that his entire abdomen produced tympanic sounds, meaning that it was filled with gas.
National Library of MedicineA CT scan of the patient’s stomach.
“Although reported cases of digestive tract perforation associated with liquid nitrogen ingestion are rare, all have necessitated emergency surgical management,” doctors wrote of the case.
A CT scan confirmed their suspicions, and they were able to identify a layer of trapped nitrogen in the patient’s abdomen, confirming the gas had ruptured his stomach.
To treat the patient, doctors made a small incision in his abdomen to release the nitrogen gas. They then inserted a thin tube with a camera, known as a laparoscope, to locate and repair the perforation.
Three days later, after a quick recovery, the patient was discharged on a liquid diet.
“This case underscores the importance of raising awareness regarding the risks associated with the ingestion of cryogenic substances and emphasizes the critical role of healthcare professionals in recognizing atypical gastrointestinal injuries and cautioning the community about the possible damage that these can have on the digestive tract,” the doctors concluded in their report.
So, next time you order a fancy, “smoking” drink at a bar, be mindful to let that fog dissipate fully before enjoying your cocktail.
After reading about the liquid nitrogen-infused cocktail that caused a man’s stomach to burst, learn about the history of beer and who invented it. Or, check out 11 astonishing instances of historical drunken mayhem.
