Cafe Coronary Syndrome-fatal Choking on Food: A Case Report Chand Meena Mahesh1*, Naagar Sunil2, Suman3, Kumar Bansal Mukesh4 1Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, UCMS>B Hospital, New Delhi, India 2Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Dr BSA Medical College & Hospital, New Delhi, India 3PG Resident, Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, UCMS>B Hospital, New Delhi, India 4Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Rani Durgawati Medical CollegeBanda, Uttar Pradesh, India *Corresponding author email id: drmahe2012@gmail.com
Online published on 31 March, 2022. Abstract Cafe Coronary syndrome which was first reported as sudden collapse at restaurants while dining was found to be due to fatal occlusion of upper airway by large pieces of food. Many of those individuals had consumed large amounts of alcohol prior to the incident. Choking to death means asphyxiation by blockage of the internal air passages. If it occurs while eating, it is also called cafe coronary syndrome because it presents like an acute heart attack due to coronary obstruction. Sudden collapse during or shortly after a meal should always raise the possibility of cafe coronary and the autopsy examination should not only attempt to demonstrate airway occlusion by a bolus of food, but also to identify or exclude underlying neurological disease. A 27-year-old individual waiter had dinner in a restaurant after finishing his work. While eating a piece of meat, the man collapsed lifelessly. On internal examination, a piece of mutton bone was found in the larynx (3.5 x 1.4 cm) between the epiglottis and the vocal c ords which was nearly complete obstruction of the larynx. The suppression of gag-reflex due to alcohol or drugs makes the individual susceptible to Cafe Coronary. This case highlights the need of being aware of the condition especially in the alcoholic/ intoxicated persons. Top Keywords Choking, Intoxication, Cafe coronary. Top |