Friday, June 7, 2024 -A man suffered a freak injury when his colon exploded after he coughed and sneezed at the same time while having breakfast with his wife.
According to Mail Online, the Florida
native's colon exploded, causing his intestines to fall out of his body.
The 63-year-old noticed a 'wet' sensation
followed by sharp pain. When he lifted his shirt he saw several inches of bowel
sticking out of his surgical wound.
He had recently had abdominal surgery but
doctors insisted earlier that day his incision was 'well-healed.'
His wife called an ambulance and upon
arrival, paramedics said they observed a three-inch opening with 'large amounts
of bowel' protruding through it.
The man was immediately rushed to the
hospital where surgeons were able to successfully return his bowel into
his abdomen.
After recovering in the hospital for six
days, the man was sent home and experienced no further complications.
His case is detailed in the
American Journal of Medical Case Reports.
This rare but serious complication of
surgery is also called disembowelment and occurs when a patient's internal
organs protrude through an incision because of wound dehiscence, the reopening
of a surgical site.
A study found wound
dehiscence is estimated to occur in up to three-in-100 people who have had
abdominal and pelvic surgeries but can occur in up to 10 per cent of elderly
patients.
It can be deadly for four-in-10 patients
due to excessive blood loss, prolonged severe pain or injury to the organs that
have been exposed.
Experts, including those in the case report,
cite coughing as a prominent risk factor for the complication, and authors of
the report concluded: 'Coughing was likely the cause in our case.'
When it does occur, it must be treated with
surgery to replace organs in the abdomen and close the open wound.
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