Briton chokes while eating chicken, dies

PANAJI: Two weeks ago, British national Daniel Lee Scott, 30, was enjoying a meal of chicken along with his wife, when he fell unconscious after choking. He was rushed to the primary health centre, Candolim, where doctors declared his case as 'brought dead'.
The forensic examination certified his cause of death as "asphyxia due to choking on food matter". It may sound bizarre, but doctors say such kind of asphyxia leading to death is not uncommon.

A doctor said Scott died of asphyxia after a piece of chicken got stuck in his windpipe. "He looked very healthy. In this case, we don't know how it happened, but he choked on a piece of chicken that he was eating," the doctor told TOI.

In 2017, the forensic department at the Goa Medical College and Hospital saw three such cases being brought in for an autopsy, including one case where a man choked and died while eating a banana.

Doctors say that eating and drinking in a hurried manner may result in food or drink going into the body through the wrong path and end up choking the person. "It is important that one shouldn't eat too fast or just gulp down food without biting it. One should eat in a slow and peaceful manner," the GMC doctor said.

When a person chokes, delivery of oxygen to the body gets blocked which results in asphyxia. "The process can last for one to 10 minutes. In the first five minutes, brain tissues are damaged," he added.

There have also been stray incidents involving children dying due to asphyxia. A year ago, GMC doctors witnessed a case where a child died after accidently swallowing an eraser. Doctors point out that parents must pay attention to warning messages that manufacturers issue on packaging of toys. "Some toys are not meant to be given to children of certain ages. Parents should be careful not to give such items to their children who are below four years of age as they may intentionally or accidently swallow anything that they might get their hands on," said a doctor.