Gastric rupture: an unusual complication of the esophageal obturator airway.

The esophageal obturator airway (EOA) has been used in the Jerusalem area by the ambulance services approximately 1,000 times in the past six years. We report an unusual complication of the EOA in the case of a 50-year-old man rescued from drowning who received both basic and advanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation. He was ventilated by an EOA attached to an Ambu bag; however, resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful. Autopsy revealed gastric rupture.