Love chowing down on momos? AIIMS experts say chew before you swallow after man chokes on dumpling

A man in his early 50s, who was drunk, was brought dead to AIIMS hospital and when police investigated, it was revealed that he was eating at a shop when he suddenly collapsed and fell to the ground

Dumpling lovers cannot resist when it its being served to them and they just want to gobble as much as they can in no time. But don’t repeat this, as a man has died from choking on a dumpling following which experts of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi has issued a “swallow with care” warning.

Momos are available almost everywhere and is a common street food. The edible has slippery and soft surface which AIIMS forensic experts say that can cause choking or even death if not swallowed without proper chewing.

AIIMS said that a man in his early 50s, who was drunk, was brought dead to the hospital and when police investigated into the matter, it was revealed that he was eating at a shop when he suddenly collapsed and fell to the ground.

The report has been published in the Journal of Forensic Imaging in its June 2022 edition.

It said that a post-mortem of the person, using CT scan, found a dumpling stuck in the upper airway or the windpipe’s opening, after which the doctors reached to a consensus that he died from chocking on a momos.

A report by Mint quoted Dr Sudhir Gupta, head of forensic department at AIIMS saying that, “These findings are very important for medicolegal opinion but could be only done by digital coaxial tomography (CT scan). It can’t be detected in traditional visual postmortem examination.”

A person gets choked when there is an obstruction in the airway at any area between the pharynx and bifurcation of trachea. If an individual eats too big a piece of any food which cannot pass through the food pipe, accidently slips into the wind pipe. It then makes the person feel uneasy and breathless and often results in blockage of the respiratory system.

Dr Abhisehk Yadav, additional professor at forensic department at AIIMS, author of the report said that the size of a dumpling is usually 5×3 cm. People should be aware when eating such type of food. “Whenever such incidents happen, eye-witnesses should immediately perform Heimlich manoeuvre- a first aid medical procedure which is used to treat upper airway obstructions by foreign objects,” Yadav added.

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