(CNN)An 9-year-old boy who was enjoying a hot dog took an overly big bite -- and went into cardiac arrest. But choking wasn't the cause, according to a case study published Wednesday in the journal Pediatrics.
The terrifying incident had a much more unlikely cause, according to Dr. Isa Ozyilmaz of Mehmet Akif Ersoy Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Training and Research Hospital in Istanbul.
The chunk of frankfurter stimulated the boy's vagus nerve, and this triggered an abnormal heart rhythm that in turn caused his heart to abruptly stop beating, Ozyilmaz and his co-authors speculated in the case study. The nerve, which extends from the head to the abdomen, helps the heart and gastrointestinal system function.
Source : http://edition.cnn.com/2017/09/06/health/hot-dog-cardiac-arrest-brugada-syndrome/