A man’s bowel exploded after he coughed and sneezed simultaneously while having breakfast with his wife.
The 63-year-old’s intestines then protruded from his body, causing him severe pain. He had recently undergone abdominal surgery, and doctors had confirmed that his incision had healed well.
The incident occurred at a diner, where the man suddenly felt a “wet” sensation followed by sharp pain. Upon lifting his shirt, he discovered several inches of his bowel hanging out of his stomach.
Paramedics quickly arrived at the scene and observed a three-inch opening with a significant amount of bowel protruding through it.
He was promptly rushed to the hospital, where surgeons successfully returned his bowel to his abdomen. After spending six days in the hospital, the man was discharged home with no further complications. His case was detailed in the American Journal of Medical Case Reports.
Disembowelment, a rare but serious complication of surgery, occurs when internal organs protrude through an incision due to improper healing.
It affects about three in 100 people who undergo abdominal and pelvic surgeries and can affect up to ten percent of elderly patients. This complication can be deadly, with up to four in ten patients dying from excessive blood loss, prolonged severe pain, or injury to the exposed organs.
Experts have identified coughing as a significant risk factor for this complication. Just a couple of weeks before the incident, the man had his bladder removed due to complications from prostate cancer.
The medical emergency highlighted the importance of documenting cases of abdominal evisceration after cystectomy, as they are poorly documented. Experts noted that there have been only seven reports of this complication this year.
