Written By: Satata Karmakar | Published : September 5, 2024 12:57 PM IST
12-Year-Old UK Boy Suffers Cardiac Arrest After Attempting 'Chroming' Challenge On TikTok
A 12-year-old boy from the United Kingdom nearly lost his life after suffering a massive cardiac arrest while participating in a dangerous social media trend. According to the reports, Cesar Watson-King inhaled a can of deodorant as part of a challenge known as 'chroming,' and collapsed at his home in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, on August 21.
Speaking to the media, the Cesar's mother said she was horrified to find her son having a seizure on the kitchen floor before he went into cardiac arrest. "Cesar was rushed to the hospital, where he was placed in a medically induced coma for two days after experiencing further seizures and cardiac arrests," she said.
The mother added that she hadn't heard of chroming before her son tried it. She explained that when the police informed her of what he had inhaled, she thought he was going to die. She recalled the warnings on the back of the cans that stated, "solvent abuse kills instantly."
Fortunately, Cesar has now recovered and is back home, but his mother has shared photos of her son receiving CPR and in intensive care to warn others about this dangerous TikTok trend called 'chroming'. "The trend involves inhaling toxic chemicals from substances like paint, solvents, aerosol cans, cleaning products, or petrol to achieve a brief high," she said.
Chroming is a dangerous and potentially fatal trend that is taking control all over the internet, especially TikTok. This dangerous act involves inhaling nitrous oxide, a gas that is usually used as a propellant in whipped cream dispensers. According to experts, this gas can cause a rapid oxygen drop in the blood, leading to a range of health problems, including cardiac arrest, heart attack and even death due to stroke.
Some of the other complications that this dangerous act can lead to are:
In rare and prolonged exposure to nitrous oxide can also cause brain damage, including cognitive impairment and memory loss.
Cardiac arrest is a general medical term that is used for a serious condition wherein the body suffers a sudden and unexpected loss of heart function - the usual flow of blood that keeps it alive. Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart unexpectedly and suddenly stops beating effectively, preventing blood from circulating to the body. This can lead to a lack of oxygen and nutrients to vital organs, including the brain.
No one is safe from this condition if they put their heart health at risk with lifestyle choices. As studies say, every age and every group of people are at risk of suffering cardiac arrest if they do not make basic minimum efforts to keep the heart healthy.
According to a 2017 report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a total of 6,84,000 adolescents between the ages of 11-17 inhaled toxic chemicals in 2015, leading to serious health complications.
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