Hospitals across the UK report removing a wide range of foreign objects from patients’ rectums, according to a survey of attendances. Items described by multiple outlets include Lego bricks, TV remotes, door handles, toothbrushes, vapes, carrots and even objects such as a boiled egg, a potato, and a snowglobe.
Outlets say the findings draw on cases from hospitals in London and other areas, including Lewisham and Greenwich, as well as Birmingham. Some reports specify unusual containers or settings associated with the items, such as objects located in balloons, bottles or other household items. The cases highlight the variety of objects that can be inserted and then require medical removal, with staff recording multiple different items and repeated attendances.
While the sources differ in which examples they foreground, they broadly agree on the core point: clinicians in multiple hospital trusts have treated patients for rectal foreign body incidents involving both everyday and unusual items, suggesting that such presentations occur across different regions rather than being isolated to one location.
