Experts ask to chew before swallowing after man chokes on momo, dies
In the post mortem, using a CT scan, it was found that a momo was stuck in the opening of his windpipe
New Delhi: A drunk man, in his 50s, was brought dead to the All India Institue of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). In the post mortem, using a CT scan, it was found that a momo was stuck in the opening of his windpipe.
AIIMS forensic experts said momos, a street food, have a slippery and soft surface which can cause choking and even death if swallowed without chewing properly. After this case, experts in AIIMS issued a warning, ‘swallow with care’.
“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,” Dr Sudhir Gupta, head of the forensic department at AIIMS told Mint. The findings have been published in the latest edition of the Journal of Forensic Imaging.
“Momos have a slippery soft surface which can cause choking which can also be fatal if swallowed without properly chewing. In this particular case, the cause of death was concluded as neurogenic cardiac arrest due to choking of momos which was found to be located at the laryngeal inlet,” said Dr Abhishek Yadav, additional professor in the forensic department at AIIMS, author of the report.
In such cases, Dr Yadav suggests, the eye-witnesses should immediately perform the Heimlich manoeuvre.
How to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre?
- Stand behind the person who is choking.
- Wrap your hands around their waist.
- Make a fist and repeatedly push the fist inwards until the food is expelled.
In this case, a virtual autopsy was used to know the cause of death. The virtual autopsy was introduced at AIIMS last year. Since then over 1,000 autopsies have been completed using the technology.