Question:easy

Choking of the respiratory passage by a bolus of food is known as?

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Sudden collapse while eating that mimics a heart attack but is actually airway blockage by food.
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
  • Gagging
  • Overlying
  • Cafe coronary
  • Burking
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: A person suddenly collapsing while eating, where a chunk of food jams the laryngeal opening, describes a classic clinical entity.

Step 2: That entity is cafe coronary, so named because the abrupt death during a meal resembles a coronary attack, although the real mechanism is airway obstruction and asphyxia.

Step 3: The distractors describe different mechanisms: gagging blocks the mouth with a gag, overlying is an adult accidentally smothering an infant, and burking pairs smothering with chest compression.

Step 4: A food bolus choking the airway is therefore best labelled cafe coronary.
\[\boxed{\text{Cafe coronary}}\]
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