Study Reveals Annual Rise in Hospitalizations for Rectal Foreign Objects in the US

A recent study published in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine reveals that nearly 4,000 people are hospitalized annually in the United States due to foreign objects in the rectum. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Rochester in New York, highlights that many of these objects are sexual in nature.

Due to the "little epidemiologic information on this condition," researchers examined emergency department reports from 2012 to 2021. The study, which is the first nationally representative data on the subject in the US, analyzed 885 cases involving adults over 15 years old, leading to 38,948 emergency room visits.

Researchers used the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System to track injuries involving the "pubic region" or "lower trunk," paired with diagnoses such as "foreign body, puncture, or laceration." According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, the system records injuries linked to consumer products.

The average age of patients in these cases was 43 years old, and 78% of them were men. About 40% of the patients required hospitalization, with over half of the foreign objects identified as toys, anal beads, vibrators, or other sexual items. Drugs, marbles, and balls were associated with a lower rate of hospitalization.

The study also identified a rise in hospital visits for rectal foreign objects, increasing from 1.2 per 100,000 people in 2012 to 1.9 per 100,000 in 2021. The study authors noted, "These data quantify a frequently encountered clinical presentation that has received little research focus," and suggested anatomical or behavioral reasons for the distinct sex and age-specific differences in outcomes.

In more unusual cases, a man required emergency surgery after a deodorant can became lodged in his rectum, as reported by the Visual Journal of Emergency Surgery. Additionally, a French senior citizen alarmed medical staff last year when he arrived at the hospital with a World War I artillery shell lodged in his rectum, prompting a partial evacuation of the facility due to a bomb scare.