A 19-year-old teenage male's harrowing medical story about eating takeout leftovers is making headlines after a recent explainer in a YouTube video went viral. The case of the man identified only as "JC" was first featured in the study, titled "A 19-Year-Old Man with Shock, Multiple Organ Failure, and Rash" published in the New England Journal of Medicine on March 2021.
His story began when he ate a leftover takeout comprised of rice, chicken, and noodles, which made him sick several hours later. It led to various complications and ended up in limb amputation.
Eating Leftovers Left Teenager With Amputated Legs, Fingers: How Long Can Leftovers Be Safely Eaten?
A Precautionary Tale of Eating Leftovers
Forbes reported that the teenager developed abdominal pain and nausea, 20 hours after eating the takeout leftovers. He also started vomiting. His symptoms further worsened into chills, muscle aches, shortness of breath, headaches, stiff neck, blurry vision, and weakness. Soon, he began developing purplish patches all over his face, chest, abdomen, arms, and legs.
His friend, who also ate the same food but only vomited and did not get similar symptoms, immediately brought him to the hospital's emergency room. JC's shortness of breath even grew worse that his blood pressure drastically dropped, and he was attached to a ventilator and given a bunch of medications.
But the hospital is not fully equipped to deal with his case, so he was transferred to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of the Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was treated for sepsis and multiple organ failure.
The pathogen called Neisseria meningitidis was detected in his blood and urine samples which also caused all kinds of problems, like purpura fulminans (PF). According to a paper in BMJ, PF is a hematological emergency characterized by skin necrosis and disseminated intravascular coagulation that may progress to multi-organ failure due to thrombosis in the medium blood vessels.
The blood clots caused by PF also caused the purplish patches on the teen's skin that formed lesions called purpura. They can also cause blood clot circulation to the arms, legs, feet, toes, and fingers. Due to this, JC was forced to have all of his 10 fingers and both legs below the knees amputated. He only gained consciousness after 26 days after his condition improved. The incident had completely changed his life.
How Long Can Leftovers Be Safely Eaten?
Leftovers should be eaten within three to four days when put in the refrigerator, according to Mayo Clinic. After that period, the risk of food poisoning increases and may lead to a horrifying event.
Food poisoning, also known as foodborne illness, happens when pathogens or harmful germs contaminate the food. Since they do not necessarily change the taste, smell, or color of the food, people sometimes cannot tell whether a food is already dangerous to eat. The best thing to do is to throw them out to avoid food poisoning.
On the other hand, proper cooking and food handling can help prevent it. Quickly refrigerate perishable foods, like meat, poultry, fish, dairy, and eggs, and avoid letting them sit for more than two hours at typical room temperature or more than one hour in environments above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius).
Meanwhile, cold salads, sandwiches, and other uncooked foods should be eaten immediately to reduce the time that it is in the "danger zone" which is between 40-140 degrees Fahrenheit (4-60 degrees Celsius) when bacteria actively multiply. When eating leftovers, make sure that it is heated in a conventional oven or microwave at 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 degrees Celsius).
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