A 63-year-old Florida man experienced a rare and alarming medical emergency when his colon fell out of his body after a forceful sneeze, causing a portion of his bowel to protrude from his abdominal surgical site.
The incident occurred while he was having breakfast with his wife at a diner, shortly after having stitches removed from a previous abdominal surgery.
According to a case report published in the American Journal of Medical Case Reports, the man immediately felt a “wet” sensation and pain in his lower abdomen after sneezing and coughing.
He noticed several loops of pink bowel protruding from his surgical site and quickly covered the exposed intestines with his shirt while his wife called for an ambulance.
Paramedics arrived to find a 3-inch laceration with a significant amount of bowel visible. The man was rushed to a nearby hospital, where a team of three urologic surgeons successfully reduced the eviscerated bowel back into the abdominal cavity.
The surgeons also inspected the small bowel for injuries and closed the abdomen with figure-of-eight stitches to prevent further complications.
The patient was hospitalised for six days and was eventually weaned off pain medications and placed on a normal diet before being released.
