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Deadly cocktail girl is lucky to have survived

Serious: Gabby Scanlon

Published on 09/10/2012 10:29

A teenager who had to have her stomach removed to save her life after drinking a cocktail made with liquid nitrogen is lucky to have survived the ordeal, a top surgeon has revealed.

Gabby Scanlon, of Heysham, near Lancaster, was out celebrating her 18th birthday last Thursday when she began feeling breathless and unwell after drinking a cocktail at a wine bar called Oscars which contained liquid nitrogen to give it a steaming effect.

After developing severe stomach pains, Gabby was rushed to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary where medics performed emergency surgery to remove her stomach.

Kish Pursnani, consultant upper GI surgeon at the Royal Preston Hospital, who specialises in stomach surgery today spoke out about the danger of using liquid nitrogen in drinks and said the teenager was lucky to be alive as such damage caused to the stomach could easily have caused a fatality.

Mr Pursnani said: “Using liquid nitrogen in cocktails is a very dangerous practice. It should never be drunk and this young girl is very lucky that she had surgery in time otherwise it could have been a fatal case.

“The liquid nitrogen would have expanded and eroded her stomach making a hole. In this girl’s case, it seems the stomach perforated in more than one place leading to the entire stomach having to be removed.

“The danger is that when there is a hole in the stomach, everything inside the stomach spills out and can cause severe peritonitis.

“This can lead to sepsis and be lethal.”

Mr Pursnani revealed that the removal of a stomach can lead to long term repercussions for a young person as it will affect their nutrition and diet and have an impact on their quality of life.

Miss Scanlon is believed to be in intensive care at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary in a serious but stable condition.

Lancashire Police have launched an investigation into the incident and Oscars Wine Bar and Bistro have suspended all drinks involving liquid nitrogen.

Nobody from the bar was available for comment.

Liquid nitrogen, which evaporates at minus 196c, is used to instantly freeze food and drinks or create a vapour.

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