A patient suffered horrific injuries after leaving a sex toy inserted in their rectum during a medical procedure.
The device was inside the patient’s back passage during a routine MRI scan, resulting in a hazardous reaction between the powerful magnets and the metal parts of the toy.
According to a horrific scan image the result was the object being dragged up through the patient, potentially damaging organs and tissue along the way.
Images circulating on social media that have been viewed millions of times show the item lodged inside the patient.
The picture was shared in May last year by X user, ‘DreadPirateZero’, who captioned it: ‘Never wear a butt plug to your MRI appointment. My god….’
The post detailed how powerful magnetic forces used to create an MRI’s detailed scans reportedly pulled the metallic core of the silicone toy through the patient’s rectum and up into their chest cavity at the ‘speed of sound’.
The patient reportedly purchased the sex toy on the basis it was’100 per cent silicone’ which — while still unadvised to have inserted during a scan — would have been safe for interaction with magnetic energy.
But unbeknownst to purchaser the toy had a metal ‘core’ that reacted to these magnetic forces.
An image shared on a now deleted post on the internet forum Reddit shows the apparent aftermath of a patient suffering horrific injuries from wearing a sex toy to an MRI scan
MRI stands for ‘magnetic resonance imaging’ and, unfortunately for the patient, powerful magnetic forces reportedly pulled the metallic core of the silicone toy through their rectum and up into their chest cavity at the ‘speed of sound’. Stock image of an MRI
While the details remain unclear, a case flagged to health officials sheds light on what may have occured.
This report, filed a day before the scan image started being shared on the internet, tells of 22 year-old patient who was left ‘screaming’ after undergoing an MRI scan, and rushed to hospital.
The unnamed health professional who filed the report said the patient hadn’t disclosed she had the sex toy inside her before the scan started.
They said: ‘She went in for the MRI and when the MRI was over and the tech was pulling the table out the patient started to scream.
‘The patient stated that she felt nauseous, was in pain, and felt like she was going to pass out.
‘An ambulance was called for this patient and she was sent to the hospital.
‘The patient was checked out by the radiologist at the site before transport to ensure the patient was doing okay.
‘The patient has not returned any of our calls yet to try and follow up to see how she is doing.’
A butt plug is a sex toy people insert into their back passage for pleasure but they can become ‘lost’ inside which can necessitates an awkward visit to hospital
Experts told MailOnline a person could theoretically suffer significant injuries from such an event and similar scenarios have happened in the past.
Professor Adam Taylor, an expert in human anatomy at Lancaster University, told MailOnline the sex toy moving ‘at the speed of sound’ was unlikely.
‘The speed at which ferromagnetic materials move in an MRI field is proportional to the mass of the object and how far away from the magnetic field it is,’ he said.
‘Things such as paper clips or hairpins would easily reach 40mph if within the field.
‘As this “toy” was predominantly silicone with a metallic core, there is potential that it moved at speed but not close to the speed of sound.’
He added that such an event, if it did occur, could be very serious.
‘Internal objects that have ferromagnetic interaction could move within the body and damage major blood vessels, nerves or organs causing traumatic injury and potentially even death,’ he said.
Professor Taylor said there had been previous cases involving patients with serious mental health problems who, unbeknownst to staff, had swallowed metal objects and been horrifically injured during an MRI.
One such case involved a 65-year-old man with schizophrenia who had swallowed items like metal sockets and a hinge pin, and saw his stomach torn open during an MRI.
In a similar incident a young child who had swallowed 11 small magnets suffered a serious bowel perforation during a scan.
The study found the incidence of objects having to be removed from rectums is on the rise with cases particularly growing in men. There were 514 procedures to remove items out of rectums between April 2021 and March 2022, according to NHS data
People in their early 50s were the most likely to get an object stuck in their rectum followed by people in their 20s
Other incidents where patients have hidden guns on their person before going in an MRI have also resulted in injury or death as magnetic forces cause the firearm to discharge with deadly results.
Professor Taylor said medics were well aware of the dangers metal objects pose in MRIs and ask patients if they have devices like pacemakers or regularly work with metal as part of minimising the risks.
‘People with certain occupations may also need additional checks, individuals who work with metal may have small shards in and around their eyes or under their skin, these can be problematic if they move during the scan,’ he said.
Professor Taylor advised people to avoid inserting a sex toy, or any other object, inside themselves before an MR,I even one that wasn’t metallic.
‘Inserting anything sex toys or otherwise into the body is advised against, it may cause complications during the procedure and if medical staff are unaware of it, it may delay treatment,’ he said.
‘Placing sex toys or other things into the body during an imaging procedure may cause artifacts on the image, which may mean whoever is looking at the scan may miss something important.’
‘Checklists and protocols for medical procedures and scans are there for a reason, to make sure that you get the best treatment. Anything that reduces this efficiency may result in the need for additional surgery, repeat imaging or worse.’