Russian actor Ivan Skitsan has died in intensive care at the age of 39 after suffering a ruptured oesophagus caused by a chicken bone.
The Russian news channel Mash reported on Telegram that the screen performer passed away in an intensive care unit on November 3 following complications from the choking incident.
Skitsan was admitted to hospital after suffering from acute chest pain. Doctors operated to remove bone fragments from his throat and discovered a deep internal wound, but medical personnel were unable to save his life.
Mash reported that the actor had lived with a narrowed oesophagus since birth, a chronic condition that made swallowing food extraordinarily difficult throughout his life. Over the years, Skitsan had undergone more than ten surgical operations in attempts to address the problem.
Lifelong health condition
When swallowing became even harder, the actor began using a homemade device constructed from a piece of wire and plastic tubing from an intravenous drip to push food down into his stomach. Skitsan applied the makeshift instrument after he choked on the chicken bone, which resulted in the fatal tear.
An oesophageal stricture is an abnormal narrowing of the muscular tube that carries food and liquid from the throat to the stomach. A perforation or rupture of the oesophagus is a grave medical emergency, as bacteria and digestive enzymes escaping into the chest cavity can cause rapid and severe internal infection.
Career on screen
Skitsan was born on January 4, 1987, and began his professional screen acting career in 2006. Over the course of his career, he participated in the filming of six feature films and television series in Russia.
His most notable project was Burnt by the Sun 2: Exodus, the epic Second World War historical drama directed by acclaimed Russian filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov. The ambitious production served as the sequel to Mikhalkov's 1994 film Burnt by the Sun, which claimed the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
