RESPECTFUL INSOLENCE

"A statement of fact cannot be insolent." The miscellaneous ramblings of a surgeon/scientist on medicine, quackery, science, and pseudoscience (and anything else that interests him).

Surgery

Here’s one foreign object story I’ve never heard before

Post author By Orac
Post date April 9, 2006
7 Comments on Here’s one foreign object story I’ve never heard before

One thing surgeons sometimes have to deal with is foreign objects placed in various orifices. As a general surgeon, I’ve seen various objects swallowed or placed in the rectum or nose. But I’ve never seen a case like this one described by RangelMD:

The other day the topic came up (don’t ask how) about cases where foreign objects are inserted into various human orifi (and I don’t mean green beans up the nose). One “interesting” (read, “difficult for males to listen to”) case involved an apparently bored male who decided to insert a strand of weed eater line into his urethra.

Once the line reached the bladder it curled up and the distal end retracted further into the urethra so that he was not able to pull it out. This was followed by the requisite trip to the local ER, urology consult, the semi amused looks and hushed voices of the staff, and an interesting cystoscopy to remove the lost line (ICD-9 code 939.0 Foreign body in genitourinary tract, Bladder and urethra).

This story grossed even me out…

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By Orac

Orac is the nom de blog of a humble surgeon/scientist who has an ego just big enough to delude himself that someone, somewhere might actually give a rodent's posterior about his copious verbal meanderings, but just barely small enough to admit to himself that few probably will. That surgeon is otherwise known as David Gorski.

That this particular surgeon has chosen his nom de blog based on a rather cranky and arrogant computer shaped like a clear box of blinking lights that he originally encountered when he became a fan of a 35 year old British SF television show whose special effects were renowned for their BBC/Doctor Who-style low budget look, but whose stories nonetheless resulted in some of the best, most innovative science fiction ever televised, should tell you nearly all that you need to know about Orac. (That, and the length of the preceding sentence.)

DISCLAIMER:: The various written meanderings here are the opinions of Orac and Orac alone, written on his own time. They should never be construed as representing the opinions of any other person or entity, especially Orac's cancer center, department of surgery, medical school, or university. Also note that Orac is nonpartisan; he is more than willing to criticize the statements of anyone, regardless of of political leanings, if that anyone advocates pseudoscience or quackery. Finally, medical commentary is not to be construed in any way as medical advice.

To contact Orac: [email protected]

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