Teen develops sepsis, gets legs amputated after eating Chinese takeout

A 19-year-old college student was left with his legs and fingers amputated after developing a serious case of sepsis from consuming leftover Chinese takeout food. The case gained limelight after Dr. Bernard Hsu, a licensed toxicologist and a YouTuber uploaded a video discussing the case. 

Uploaded on February 16, the video has amassed over 1 million views on YouTube. The video identifies the college student as JC, who experienced a “freak accident happening in a perfect storm sequence of events,” according to Dr. Hsu.

The case was first reported in the New England Journal of Medicine in March 2021. The journal elucidated how the 19-year-old developed “shock, multiple organ failure, skin mottling, and a rapidly progressive reticular rash.” 

Admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital, “The patient had been well until 20 hours before this admission, when diffuse abdominal pain and nausea developed after he ate rice, chicken, and lo mein leftovers from a restaurant meal,” according to the journal. 

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“Multiple episodes of emesis (vomiting) occurred, with vomitus that was either bilious or red-brown. The abdominal pain and vomiting were followed by the development of chills, generalized weakness, progressively worsening diffuse myalgias (muscle pains), chest pain, shortness of breath, headache, neck stiffness, and blurry vision. A diffuse reticular purpuric rash was present on the face, chest, abdomen, back, arms, and legs, sparing the palms and soles,” it added.

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According to the journal, the patient had a body temperature of over 105 degrees Fahrenheit, with a heart rate of 166 heartbeats per minute and a respiratory rate of 28 breaths per minute. 

After undergoing a series of blood and urine tests, he was diagnosed with Neisseria meningitidis, a bacterial infection. The infection caused blood clotting and liver failure.

The patient’s skin discolouration is said to be caused by a severe complication of meningococcal septicemia, known as ‘purpura fulminans’.

After getting several body parts amputated, the 19-year-old experienced a “relatively good recovery,” according to a report by Newsweek.