A 12-year-old girl found herself on the operating table in Bengaluru’s Narayana Multispeciality Hospital after consuming a liquid nitrogen-infused “smoky paan” at a wedding reception. The girl, whose identity remains undisclosed, underwent emergency surgery to address a hole discovered in her stomach.

According to the hospital, the girl’s consumption of the novelty “smoky paan” led to a diagnosis of stomach perforation, requiring immediate surgical intervention to prevent further complications. The medical team swiftly performed exploratory laparotomy, accompanied by intra-operative esophagogastroduodenoscopy (OGD) and sleeve gastrectomy, to rectify the critical condition.

Dr. Vijay H S, leading the team of doctors, explained that intra-operative OGD involves the use of an endoscope during surgery to examine the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. During the procedure, an unhealthy patch measuring approximately 4×5 cm was identified on the lesser curvature of the stomach and addressed through sleeve resection, involving the removal of a portion of the stomach.

Following the successful surgery, the patient spent two days in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) before being discharged after six days of post-operative care. The incident underscores the potential dangers associated with consuming liquid nitrogen-infused food items and serves as a cautionary tale regarding the risks of novelty culinary trends.