The dangers of sneezingβfrom ejected bowels to torn windpipes
If you were to envision the kind of accident that would cause a personβs bowels to explode out of their body, you might imagine some sort of gruesome stabbing or grisly car accident. Youβd probably never imagine that something as commonplace and harmless as a sneeze would cause this kind of ghastly injuryβbut thatβs exactly what happened to a Florida man earlier this month.
The man had recently had abdominal surgery and was suffering from wound dehiscenceβwhere his surgical scar wasnβt healing properly. While eating breakfast, the man first sneezed, then began coughing. He noticed pain and a wet sensation on his lower abdomenβonly to discover several loops of his bowel had burst through his unhealed wound.
The man was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery where his bowels were returned to his abdomen.