In a recent case report, doctors have detailed what might be the worlds most horrific sneeze ever documented.
Their patient, a 63-year-old man, sneezed out his intestines through his reopened surgical wounds.
This article contains graphic descriptions that some readers might find upsetting.
Man sneezing out a visible spray of water droplets.© Marc Dufresne via Getty
When he looked down, he saw several loops of pink bowel sticking out of his surgical wounds.
To put it lightly, the man wasnt exactly sure of what to do next.
He covered his intestines with his shirt and initially thought about driving to the hospital himself.
© Jones, et al/American Journal of Medical Case Reports
Worried that this might worsen his predicament, though, his wife instead called for an ambulance.
Unsurprisingly, the paramedic who arrived was likewise uncertain about the best wayto handle the situation at first.
Three surgeons worked together to carefully maneuver the mans intestines into its usual position.
His recovery went smoothly and he was discharged six days later in good condition.
His final diagnosis: a literal case of evisceration, also known as disembowelment.
A reopened wound is an uncommon but known complication of bladder removal surgery.
But its fair to say that this particular kind of incident is rare.
So the doctors hope their write-up can help others, particularly patients and first responders, in the future.
But they did think to create an illustration that anyones mother would be proud to put on their fridge.
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