Part of the man's urethra had to be removed, the study said. (Representative pic)
A 73-year-old Australian man sought urgent medical help after jamming three button-style batteries into his penis. According to the medical study published in Urology Case Reports, the unidentified man had been fueling his own "sexual gratification" by intentionally shoving batteries into his penile urethra. He admitted to regularly inserting foreign objects without them getting stuck inside.. However, this time, the batteries had moved further up the penile urethra due to repeated failed attempts at self-removal.
"To the best of our understanding, this is the first reported case of urethral necrosis with button battery insertion," the study authors wrote.
The man seeked medical attention 24 hours after inserting three button batteries into his penile urethra. He presented to the emergency department with moderate penile pain, severe paraphimosis and obstructive urinary symptoms including weak urinary flow, straining and a sensation of incomplete bladder emptying.
Doctors then moved quickly to remove the foreign objects as their corrosiveness can cause necrosis - the death of body tissue - in just two hours. The doctors also feared the potentially rare but lethal infection of Fournier's gangrene - a type of flesh-eating disease that affects your scrotum, penis or perineum.
After several unsuccessful approaches, the doctors were finally able to remove the batteries using forceps. "All extracted batteries were coated with black tar-like material," the study noted.
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But this wasn't the end as the man returned to the hospital 10 days later, complaining of swelling and icky discharge. The doctors then quickly operated on him again. "An incision was made to the penile skin," researchers noted, adding that "a large amount" of fluids leaked out.
As per the study, the doctors' fears that the man developed an "extensive degree of necrosis" were realised. Part of the man's urethra had to be removed, the study said.
"Given the complexity of his injury, it was deemed that formal penile urethral reconstruction would likely require a 3-stage repair," according to the researchers, who described the complex, six-month procedure of mucous membrane grafts. After assessing the extremely damaged penis, ultimately doctors "decided that the best option would be for no further penile reconstruction".