3rd October 2026 – (Zhejiang) With National Day banquets and gatherings in full swing, a 24‑year‑old woman was rushed to hospital in Zhejiang after a buffet blow‑out left her stomach severely distended and unable to process food. After two hours of heavy eating, she developed acute gastric dilation and required urgent open surgery, during which surgeons extracted roughly three jin of food residue, equivalent to about 3.3 pounds.
Dr Lu Xiao, deputy chief physician in emergency medicine at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, said the patient, identified only as Ms Li as a pseudonym, had been restricting her diet for weight loss and chose the buffet as a “cheat meal”. In a short period she consumed large quantities of lamb, beef, vermicelli and enoki mushrooms. She arrived at the emergency department with a balloon‑like abdomen, unable to vomit or pass stool, prompting immediate surgical intervention.
Doctors cautioned that while the stomach is elastic and can expand five to ten times its normal size, it still has physiological limits. Rapidly consuming large amounts can trigger acute gastric dilation and food retention and, in severe cases, lead to sepsis and organ failure. They advised anyone experiencing sustained abdominal bloating for several hours after overeating to seek medical care promptly rather than attempting to endure the symptoms.
