A 9-year-old boy who went into sudden cardiac arrest after taking a big bite of a hot dog appears to have suffered from a rare heart-rhythm condition, according to a study of the case published in the journal Pediatrics.

The report concluded the boy had a genetic condition called Brugada syndrome (BS). The disorder can cause alcohol beverages, a fever, or even eating a large bite of food to trigger sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and arrhythmia.

Those triggers stimulate the vagus nerve — a part of the parasympathetic nervous system —  which controls the heart and lungs, the resesearchers said

According to the new report, the unidentified 9-year-old boy experienced a sudden heart attack while he was eating a large hot dog. His parents first feared he'd choked on the dog.

But after he was treated and resuscitated, an electrocardiogram showed abnormalities that led doctors to diagnose him with BS and surgeons implanted a cardioverter defibrillator.

Often, people with BS have no symptoms — until their heart stops, the researchers said.

“Vagal stimulus-dependent after eating a large bite of food may be the first symptom of BS,” they wrote. “For this reason, the electrocardiographic results of the children who had a cardiac arrest after eating a large meal with big bites should be evaluated in detail.”