Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Glass Toys

Glass toys seemingly have gained in popularity recently, but so has the dangers associated with them. Unexpected breakage can lead to an embarrassing trip to the ER, and it is being seen with increasing frequency. Glass toys should be avoided at all costs - no matter how tempting. One incidence in my practice involved a man in his late 20's taking a jar up his anus, which unexpectedly broke. He arrived at the ER twenty minutes later, having lost a significant amount of blood, where he was immediately taken into surgery. A piece of glass had fragmented, and lodged into his prostate, which required a radical prostatectomy, and he had to wear a colostomy bag for two months, until a second surgery was done to reconnect his bowels after everything had healed. Two units of blood were required during the surgery, and two more afterwards.