A 55-year-old man in Bangladesh sought emergency care for severe abdominal pain that started five hours before his arrival. During the examination, doctors found his vital signs were mostly stable, though his heart rate was slightly elevated at 110 beats per minute. The patient reported that an eel had accidentally entered his body through his rectum the previous day while he was wearing a lungi, a traditional long skirt. He had hoped the fish would exit naturally and did not seek immediate medical help.
Physical palpation revealed a rigid and tender abdomen. An X-ray identified a dark, eel-shaped shadow on the right side of the patient’s belly and indicated the presence of gas beneath the diaphragm. These findings suggested peritonitis, an inflammation of the peritoneal membrane that covers the abdominal organs. If left untreated, this condition can rapidly progress to life-threatening sepsis.
Medical professionals administered intravenous antibiotics, fluids, and anti-ulcer medications to address potential tissue damage and infection risks. Due to the severity of the peritonitis, surgeons performed an immediate laparotomy to remove the eel. Upon opening the sigmoid colon, they extracted the live eel from the peritoneal cavity. The creature measured approximately 2.2 feet (0.6 meters) in length.
Doctors hypothesized that the eel may have breathed by penetrating the colon wall and entering the peritoneal space, where pale-yellow fluid reduces friction between organs. This fluid contains water, glucose, electrolytes, proteins, enzymes, white blood cells, and urea. Following the removal, surgeons created a sigmoid colostomy to bypass the damaged intestinal section and prevent fecal leakage that could cause further infection.
The patient recovered fully and was discharged four days later. Authors of the case report noted that traumatic intestinal perforation by foreign objects is uncommon, while cases involving live animals are exceedingly rare. While some individuals deliberately insert objects rectally, including vibrators or other items like chicken bones and light bulbs, accidental penetration by a live fish is scarcely documented. A similar historical case involved a man in Hong Kong who intentionally inserted an eel to relieve constipation.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.
Wait, the Hong Kong case involved intentional insertion? People really try anything to solve their problems these days.
Doctors saved him, but I’d be terrified of any future meal. That is an incredibly rare and traumatic way to get peritonitis.
I have so many questions about how this actually happened in the first place. The lungi detail is chilling.