Emergency surgery was performed on Boxing Day at the Santa Chiara Hospital in Trento, where a 77-year-old man arrived in critical condition. According to the reconstruction, he had eaten too many lentils at Christmas and had damaged his esophagus.
A very rare case, Dr. Alberto Brolese, director of General Surgery 2 and the Surgical Department, told Corriere della Sera, "classified as Boerhaave syndrome, a spontaneous and complete tear of the esophagus. It usually occurs after intense exertion, such as forced vomiting, which causes gastric contents and the esophagus to spill into the chest."
" It can be fatal and occurs in older people, who have stiffer tissues," he continues. "The patient had eaten too much, and he felt the urge to vomit, but the excess food, namely the lentils, didn't come out of his mouth but rather ended up in his chest, so he needed immediate surgery ."
Brolese was on vacation with his family, but as soon as he was notified, he left immediately: "Boerhaave's syndrome has an 80% mortality rate. The surgery lasted four hours, I had to quickly decide what to do, and I opted for esophageal sutures. Now the patient is improving ."
(Unioneonline/D)
