A man has burned a hole in his throat after trying to eat the world's hottest chilli, a medical journal has revealed.
The 47-year-old American ate a burger smothered in a puree made of Bhut jolokia - luminous orange chillies that grow in India, also known as ghost peppers.
Within seconds, the man began to vomit.
His vomiting continued so violently that he eventually tore a hole in his esophagus.
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| The 47-year-old American ate a burger smothered in a puree made of Bhut jolokia - luminous chillies that grow in India, also known as ghost peppers. He ended up with a feeding tube. |
It was not until he began reeling on the floor in pain that he was taken to the emergency room.
Doctors performed an abdomen and pelvic scan that revealed a build up of air, fluid and food inside his body.
Eventually he was wheeled into the operated room where surgeons discovered a 2.5cm tear in the left side of his throat.
According to the Journal of Emergency Medicine, the man was given a tube to aid his breathing for 14 days as he recovered.
He then spent another nine days in hospital before he was eventually discharged - with a feeding tube in place.
Writing in the Journal, medics said: 'This case serves as an important reminder of a potentially life- threatening surgical emergency initially interpreted as discomfort after a large spicy meal.'
Few people survive a tear in the esophagus, a medical complication known as Boerhaave syndrome.
It was first reported in 1724 by a Dutch doctor called Herman Boerhaave.
With very few typical symptoms, it is difficult to diagnose before it is too late.
After a while, sufferers commonly develop potentially fatal shocks or sepsis.
However, around a third of cases happen under unusual circumstances.
It is not clear how the ghost pepper prompted the man's esophagus to rupture - whether it was the inflammation, the retching, something else, or a combination of factors.
Ghost peppers have a Scoville rating of more than one million.
To put that in perspective: a sweet bell pepper has 0, Tabasco has 100, and Jalapeno has 2,500.
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