Teenager has stomach removed to save her life after drinking lethal cocktail

A teenager has had her stomach removed to save her life after drinking a cocktail made with liquid nitrogen. Gaby Scanlon was celebrating her 18th birthday at a bar in Lancaster when she had the drink and began to feel breathless. She developed severe stomach pain and was taken to hospital where she was diagnosed with a perforated stomach. Doctors performed emergency surgery to remove her stomach and save her life.



Last month the bar posted a picture on its Facebook page of a cocktail which contained liquid nitrogen called the Pornstar Martini. Sold for £8.95 with a shot of champagne, the bar called it ‘amazing’. Liquid nitrogen, which evaporates at minus 196C, has become increasingly common as a method for instantly freezing food and drinks or creating an impressive cloud of vapour – techniques popularised by television chef Heston Blumenthal. But it should only ever be used as a method to chill glasses or freeze ingredients as it can cause internal damage when inhaled or ingested.

If swallowed, the liquid can freeze parts of the mouth, throat or stomach, causing severe cold burns which destroy the tissue. The liquid can also rapidly boil inside the stomach, creating a huge amount of vapour which could potentially cause damage such as perforations. Miss Scanlon, from Heysham, Lancashire, is in a serious but stable condition, police said.