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Updated June 7th, 2022 at 16:33 IST

Delhi: Man dies after choking on a momo; AIIMS issues 'swallow with care' warning

In a bizarre case of death due to a choking hazard, a man died after he choked on a momo, a popular street food. Following his death, AIIMS issued a warning.

Reported by: Princia Hendriques
Aiims
Image: Pixabay | Image:self
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In a bizarre case of choking hazard, a man lost his life after he choked on a momo, a popular street food. Following his tragic death, AIIMS (Experts at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences) issued a warning to raise awareness of the chances of choking hazards due to the 'slippery consistency' and 'small shape' of a momo.

The popular Asian dish is a bite-size dumpling made out of dough with a variety of stuffing including vegetarian and non-vegetarian options.

While they are usually steamed in order to be prepared, over the years, different versions of its varieties have surfaced including fried, tandoori, gravy and chocolate momos. They are a popular street food delicacy across Indian regions like Sikkim, Assam, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Arunachal Pradesh.

Man dies after choking on a momo, AIIMS issues warning

An AIIMS report published in Forensic Imaging revealed a rare case of a man in his 50s and drunk dying after choking on a momo. He was reportedly brought to AIIMS from South Delhi. A police investigation further revealed that the man collapsed after consuming a momo at a shop. During the post-mortem, a CT scan revealed that a momo was lodged in the opening of the windpipe after which the doctors concluded that he died of choking on the dumpling dish. 

AIIMS issued a 'swallow with care' warning after the case came to light. In an interview with Mint, the head of the forensic department at AIIMS, Dr. Sudhir Gupta, talked about the unique case. ''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,'' he affirmed. 

Dr Abhisehk Yadav, who is the author of the report and an additional professor in the forensic department at AIIMS, also talked about the choking hazard that the dumplings posed due to their slippery surface whilst pointing out that they are a famous street food delicacy in Delhi. 

''In this particular case, the cause of death was concluded as neurogenic cardiac arrest due to choking of momo that was found to be located at the laryngeal inlet,'' Yadav continued, ''The size of a dumpling is 5x3cm which is quite a big size and people should be aware when eating such type of food,'' He also urged people to perform procedures like Heimlich maneuver—a first-aid procedure used to treat upper airway obstructions by foreign objects— after witnessing similar instances. 

Image: Pixabay

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Published June 7th, 2022 at 16:17 IST

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