Man, 73, suffers horrific 'penile necrosis' after three 1cm wide batteries get stuck in his urethra
- Australian man admitted using batteries for 'sexual gratification'
- He revealed that he had never had any problems removing batteries in the past
A man lost part of his penis after inserting three 1cm wide button batteries into his urethra.
The unnamed 73-year-old, from Australia, waited 24 hours before seeking medical attention.
He admitted to medics that he used the batteries for “self-gratification” and that he had never had problems removing objects in the past.
Doctors shared eye-opening details of the incident in a medical journal, telling how failed attempts to fish out the 1.3cm wide batteries only pushed them deeper into his urethra.
Button batteries release a corrosive liquid if left in the body, which can burn through tissue and blood vessels within hours, causing serious internal damage and bleeding that can be fatal.
Doctors who examined the man found that the opening of his urethra was stained black, while surgery later revealed that necrosis had occurred.
The incontinent 73-year-old, whose name was not given, waited 24 hours before seeking medical attention. He later admitted to medics that he used the batteries for 'self-gratification' and that he had never had any problems removing them in the past.
During the operation, medics then returned his foreskin to its original position after it had been trapped by the batteries, creating a tight band of contracting tissue. They used tweezers to remove the batteries individually and noted that he had suffered “extensive” burns on the outside of his penis. The photo shows an example of button batteries sold
Medics at Western Health Footscray Hospital in Melbourne who treated him said he arrived at A&E in pain and felt he could not empty his bladder properly.
Doctors tried to grab the trio of batteries using tweezers, a tongue-like medical device and other tools.
But register Urological case reportsthey said the patient “had difficulty tolerating the procedure and it was abandoned.”
They then operated on the man while he was under general anesthesia and successfully removed the batteries using tweezers.
Each of the batteries was covered in a “black tar-like material” and the man's urethra had suffered “extensive” burns, they wrote.
He was given antibiotics for two weeks and was discharged after three days as he recovered well from the surgery.
However, when he returned to the hospital ten days later complaining of a swollen penis and discharge from his urethra, doctors rushed him into another operation.
They cut into his penis, which led to a 'large amount' of pus oozing out and revealing he had an 8cm piece of dead tissue in his shaft, which was removed by medics, along with part of his urethra.
The man, who had suffered from erectile dysfunction for three years, was also fitted with a semi-permanent catheter to help him urinate due to his injuries.
A follow-up appointment two weeks later revealed that it had healed as expected and his catheter was removed and replaced with a suprapubic catheter.
This is a semi-permanent device that is replaced every four to twelve weeks. Instead of being inserted through the urethra, the catheter is inserted through a hole in the abdomen and then directly into the bladder.
He was advised against complete penis reconstruction, which doctors said would take nine months, 'given the complexity of his injury'.
Doctors wrote in the diary that they believe it is the first case involving batteries and removal of the urethra.
Battery insertion is “very harmful” and requires “clinical urgency,” she added, given the risk of battery acid discharge into the urethra.
When discussing the issue of urethral insertion in general, they noted that most cases involve objects such as wires, bones, cutlery, thermometers and even worms.
But there is no typical care protocol for dealing with 'foreign bodies in the urethra'.