[Marc]

A teenager has had her stomach removed to save her life after drinking a cocktail containing liquid nitrogen.

The 18-year-old, named in reports as Gaby Scanlon, began feeling breathless after consuming the drink during a night out with friends in Lancaster city centre on Thursday.

She then developed severe stomach pain and was taken to Lancaster Royal Infirmary at about 11pm.

Medics diagnosed the girl with a perforated stomach and were forced to perform emergency surgery to remove the organ, Lancashire Police said.

The girl, from Heysham, remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition, the force added.

Officers have launched an investigation into the incident.

A number of witnesses at the night spot where the drink was bought are being interviewed by police and the licensed premises has stopped selling drinks containing the chemical.

Nitrogen becomes liquid at a temperature of -196 Celsius.

A Lancashire Police spokeswoman said: "Medical opinion is that this would have proved fatal had the operation not been carried out urgently.

"The investigation is still in its early stages and we are still interviewing witnesses to establish the full facts.

"The premises involved have fully co-operated with all agencies and have suspended drinks involving liquid nitrogen."

who would sell that?!

[thesheriff443]

make mine a double

[Omah]

Gotta be a crime there somewhere - was it just her drink?

[Niamh.]

They actually sold that in a bar?

[Saph]

I don't get the fascination with drinking you cant beat a cup of tea

[Marc]

Saph!

[MTVN]

Never heard of drinks with nitrogen in, quite scary how easily something like this must happen from selling the stuff

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by MTVN

Never heard of drinks with nitrogen in, quite scary how easily something like this must happen from selling the stuff

If she was sold that in a bar, they're going to be in big trouble, I'd imagine

[MTVN]

Originally Posted by Niamh.

If she was sold that in a bar, they're going to be in big trouble, I'd imagine

Sounds like it's legal though according to the Telegraph article:

Liquid nitrogen has become popular for the making of some elaborate cocktails, with Heston Blumenthal among the most high–profile chefs to use it for culinary purposes.

The liquid form of the gas can be used to flash–freeze substances, and some bars use it to chill glasses or freeze ingredients, producing a dramatic–looking grey vapour.

[Shaun]

sounds like a missed Darwin Award opportunity

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by MTVN

Sounds like it's legal though according to the Telegraph article:

Really? wow that's worrying :/

[Novo]

It's just one of those really rare things

[Marc]

It's legal? Jeez

[Gstar]

I heard about this not long ago on the radio, sad story =[

[Black Dagger]

Originally Posted by SaphLiike

I don't get the fascination with drinking you cant beat a cup of tea

[Ammi]

..this is part of another account from a young person..I don't know why they're allowed/or would even want to sell this when they know it can do such harm....surely they're not going to wait until there's been a death...


Within about two seconds, I had collapsed to the floor, unable to breathe or feel anything other than intense pain.

Ambulance arrives. Police arrive. Trip to hospital. Admission. Try to explain to ER staff exactly how something like this happens. Then I pass out.

I wake up next morning connected to many machines, some beeping, others performing more important functions like digesting my food and breathing for me.

Turns out that, in accordance with popular belief, you really should not drink the stuff. I eventually learned a few things about liquid nitrogen. Like... while you can safely put it in your mouth, and blow neat smoke patterns, you should never ever ever swallow. First off, the closing of the epiglottis prevents the nitrogen gas from escaping, so it is forced into your body instead. Second, your esophagus naturally constricts around anything inside it, so, even if there is a thin protective gas layer, the esophagus will find a way to make contact with the liquid nitrogen.

So... the consequences... my entire upper GI tract, from epiglottis to the bottom of the stomach was badly burned, scarred, and perforated. The gas also expanded quite a bit while inside my body. It filled my chest cavity with several liters of nitrogen gas, which was under enough presuure to collapse a lung. So after what I'm told was a grueling all night surgery, they removed part of my stomach, and had my entire digestive system, top to bottom, running on machine power for a while. I also had a breather for the first day or so, until my lung was restored. There are a few details which are considerably uglier which I will spare you.

So... the recovery... they were impressed with my recuperative skills. I could breathe on my own completely after a few days. I could sit up in bed after a week, and was walking in two. About that time, I began to eat again as well. After four weeks, I was up and about again. Now, something like eight weeks, I'm virtually healed, with the exception of a number of unsightly scars

[Smithy]

OMG I know where that bar is, we were there a few weeks ago

[Niamh.]

presumably they'll be taking it off the menu now

[BBfanUSA]

Hm very interesting.

Here in america, there's a ice cream frozen by nitrous. Very safe to eat.

Wait how can she live without a stomach?

[Scarlett.]

What a stupid thing to sell

[GiRTh]

Doesn't Heston Blumenthall use Liquid Nitrogen in some of his recipes? This story puzzles me.

[Nedusa]

I expect this woman will sue for Millions in damages and can expect to win, especially if the Bar that served this to her is part of a large Pub chain or Hotel chain. I would also expect a criminal prosecution against the bar manager or restaurant manager.

This is almost beyond belief, words fail me....

[Kizzy]

Wow scary, my daughter is at uni there...
That poor girl =(

[Ammi]

Originally Posted by GiRTh

Doesn't Heston Blumenthall use Liquid Nitrogen in some of his recipes? This story puzzles me.

..Yes, but it's not injested...I think you can take it into your mouth and blow steam (although not recommended)...but you can't injest it


Edit:..this explains it better Girth....

Swallowing liquid nitrogen
Yes, there are people who do tricks with liquid nitrogen. One low-temperature physicist makes a toast with liquid nitrogen. It is dangerous - don't do it.
The danger of toasting with liquid nitrogen is the possibility that you might swallow a bit by accident. If this were to happen, then the valve at the top of your stomach might close, trapping some liquid nitrogen inside you. Then some very bad things would happen:
1. The liquid nitrogen would be held in contact with your tissues for long enough to cause damage, possibly freezing your epiglottis or destroying the valve at the top of your stomach or some other part of your mouth, throat or stomach.
2. Second, the rapidly boiling liquid would generate a huge amount of vapor inside you. You might not explode, but it would be extremely unpleasant

[arista]

Its a Effect

She must have drank it to fast, sadly