Teenager has stomach removed after 18th birthday celebrations

A teenager has had her stomach removed in an emergency operation after celebrating her 18^th birthday a with a liquid-nitrogen laced cocktail at a wine bar.

Gaby Scanlon, from Lancashire, was out with her friends at Oscar’s wine bar on the 4^th October, when she became breathless and developed a severe stomach pain.

She was then taken to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary where she was diagnosed with a perforated stomach. She was immediately operated on.

“Medical opinion is that this would have proved fatal had the operation not been carried out urgently,” said the Lancashire police.

Oscar’s wine bar has said that they are “tremendously concerned” about Gaby and their “heartfelt best wishes” go out to her family “at this distressing time.”

Police say that the bar has ceased selling all liquid nitrogen cocktails following the incident and had cooperated with all the agencies

“The investigation is still in its early stages and we are still interviewing witnesses to establish the full facts,” they said.

Gaby is now in a stable but serious condition.

Liquid nitrogen has become common as a method for flash freezing food or drinks and creating a vapour cloud.

Oscar’s wine bar posted a photograph on its Facebook page last month of one of its liquid nitrogen cocktails. It contained champagne and was sold for £8.95.

If swallowed, liquid nitrogen can cause cold burns to the throat, mouth and stomach, killing the tissue.

As the vapour hits the stomach it warms quickly, releasing large volumes of air which burst the stomach.