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Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director of Doctissimo)
By accident or for new sensations, some people insert objects of all kinds into their natural orifices. The American health services provide a surprising overview of the objects most commonly found stuck. What are the risks involved? Update with Dr. Gérald Kierzek, emergency physician and medical director of Doctissimo.
What do a magnet, a charger, a lollipop and orange peels have in common? At first glance, none. And yet: all of these “objects” were found in the bodies of certain people in 2021, according to data from the American Consumer Product Safety Commission. All inserted into different natural orifices of the human body. What are the risks ? Let’s take stock with Dr. Gérald Kierzek, emergency doctor and medical director of Doctissimo.
Small toys or objects in the ears or nose
According to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, the most common objects found stuck in patients’ ears are: a cufflink, a pin, damp tissue, insects, a rock, a pencil eraser or another piece of ice cream cone.
“It is common to see children in the emergency room who have stuck a small toy in their ear. confirms Dr. Gérald Kierzek, “this is also the case in adults, but we rather find objects with which they wanted to scratch their ear canal“.
In the nose, the Commission reports the following elements: gum wrappers, a used match, rice, small candies, thread, jewelry, orange peels, an LED light, flowers, cheese or popcorn kernels. Adults, however, are much less concerned, according to Dr. Kierzek. “On the other hand, we can find small objects or food, or even small stones stuck in children’s noses.“.
Bones or bones stuck in the throat
At the level of the throat, finding an atypical object is more like suffocation. “It’s often after a wrong turn” indicates the emergency doctor. “People swallow a chicken bone or fish bone, which gets stuck in their throat.”.
Gérald Kierzek also warns when this happens in children. “Sometimes a child will choke and it will suddenly get better. In fact, he will have inhaled the food, which will end up in the airways and in particular one of the two lungs, which can cause pneumonia. You should therefore always consult a doctor after an episode of this type.“.
Batteries or swallowed objects found in the digestive tract
But according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, some ingestions are intentional. She lists objects each more surprising than the last, such as a steak knife, a small flashlight, a glue stick, pet toys, coins, office supplies, cigarettes, foil, hair clips, keys and even darts.
Objects swallowed, whether intentionally or not, end up in the digestive tract. If sometimes there is nothing to do other than wait for the object to be naturally expelled, in other cases, you must consult urgently. “This is the case when a child ingests a battery, For example. This can create mediastinitis, as it breaks down, so it needs to be removed urgently” adds the doctor.
Objects inserted into the vagina, urethra or rectum
To stimulate their sexual pleasure, some people insert objects as diverse as they are varied into their bodies.
In men, the Commission notes that certain foreign objects are used as sex toys: beads, paper clips, coins, a car key, a pencil, a nail, a ceiling fan chain, a phone charger portable or wooden spoon.
For women, inserted into the vagina, objects like coins, a screw, a pen, a pestle, a flashlight, a drinking cup, a golf ball, a bottle of nail polish and even a spatula have been listed by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission.
An object stuck in the body is an emergency
Facts confirmed by Dr. Kierzek. “This could be beads or wires in the urethra in men, tampons or condoms stuck in women or any kind of object like candles, bottles or food in the rectum” indicates Dr. Gérald Kierzek.
In the latter, objects such as sex toys, but not only, have also been reported to have already become stuck in some patients. For example, spoons, magnets, bottles, colored pencils, keys, figurines, a vegetable peeler, candles, a fishing rod and an ice cream cone are part of the list.
Dr Kierzek therefore wishes to point out that in the latter case, there is naturally what we call “the suppository principle”, which means that once the object is inserted, it goes up into the rectal bulb and will remain stuck. . “It can be serious, causing peritonitis, for example, through tearing of intestinal tissue. The important thing to remember is that if an object gets stuck in the body, you should seek medical attention quickly, because it “It’s an emergency” he concludes.
Slide: Sexual accidents: emergency gems