A 22-year-old man is fighting for his life in the hospital after he swallowed an entire burger as part of a challenge while having a meal with friends.
The young man is in the intensive care unit of the G. Gennimatas Hospital in Koropi, Greece, where he remains in critical condition.
Michalis Giannakos, President of the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Workers (POEDHN), said: ‘He can only be saved by a miracle, he is in a very critical condition.’
Giannakos also questioned how it was possible for a young person to put themselves through swallowing a whole burger without chewing.
He added: ‘Even if he received first aid, a doctor’s intervention is needed because when the brain is left without oxygen, irreparable damage is caused.’
The family denied claims that he took part in a challenge. However, according to witnesses, the young man had gone out to eat with his friends and allegedly tried to eat the entire burger as quickly as possible.
Police spokesperson Konstantina Dimoglidou said authorities would seek footage from the restaurant to determine whether anyone had encouraged him to attempt the dangerous act.
Former president of the Athens-Piraeus Hospital Doctors Association, Matina Pagoni, said the young men had made a bet to swallow whole burgers, which caused the 22-year-old’s airway to block.
She added: ‘These are tragic circumstances.
‘A 22-year-old young man who went to Koropi just to have some fun is now intubated and in extremely critical condition, with very serious problems affecting his brain, kidneys, and all his organs.’
Earlier this year, a man was in ‘absolute agony’ after guzzling 3kg of Haribo cola bottles over three days.
Nathan Rimmington, 33, munched his way through a bumper pack of sweets, consuming an enormous 11,000 calories in sweets alone.
The £18 bags are normally purchased by store owners to keep their pick’n’mix tubs topped up.
Mr Rimmington, from Barnsley, said his sugar rush left him ‘bunged up’ and unable to get out of bed or walk.
After visiting his GP he was found to have high levels of gelatine in his system, which can cause bowel problems and in severe cases require surgery.
The incident has put Mr Rimmington off the gummy sweets for life, despite a friend buying him another 3kg bag of cola bottles as a joke for his birthday.
The HGV business owner was later diagnosed with acute diverticulitis, the infection and inflammation of the large intestine.
He spent six days at Rotherham Hospital hooked on to IV drips to flush the gelatine out of his system.
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