A man almost lost his life and suffered a torn stomach after eating an amount equivalent to a pot of expandable foam.
The 45-year-old man, who was not named, was rushed to surgery in South Korea with severe stomach pain after “intentionally” eating the foam.
Doctors quickly removed the substance, commonly used to seal cracks in buildings and in arts and crafts projects, and found that it had adapted to the shape of his stomach and esophagus.
The material was found to have penetrated the sensitive stomach lining, causing agonizing pain that required surgical repair.
The patient remained in the unit for two weeks after the procedure, before being sent home.
The image above shows the foam removed from the man, on the left is the imprint of the stomach and the lower part of the esophagus in the foam.
An American woman called Jennifer previously admitted to eating foam and said she had destroyed up to eight mattresses in 20 years.
Fortunately, he suffered no long-term effects as a result of consuming the foam.
The strange case was revealed by doctors from Kyungpook National University in the magazine. Clinical toxicology.
In the article, doctors suggested that the foam had expanded once it was inside the man.
The resulting volume of the substance “far exceeded” the space inside the stomach, causing the organ to tear and begin leaking its contents.
Doctors say a tear or perforation of the stomach can be fatal because it can trigger an infection that can quickly lead to sepsis without treatment.
Doctors said: ‘Life-threatening gastric perforation can occur after ingestion of polyurethane foam.
“Clinical toxicologists and emergency physicians should be aware of the highly expandable nature of this agent.”
Few other details about the patient were revealed, including why the individual may have consumed the foam.
But doctors said this could have been linked to the mental condition pica, which causes people to consume inedible materials with no nutritional benefits.
According to estimates, approximately one in every hundred people suffers from this condition, which may be related to mental health conditions or developmental problems such as autism.
Doctors added that when the patient first entered the emergency room, they performed a laparoscopy, where small incisions are made in the abdomen before a camera is inserted.
It is estimated that the person consumed around 12 inches (200 cm3) of foam, the equivalent of a flower pot.
Other cases of people eating foam-like materials include that of an American woman named Jennifer who used to eat a piece of mattress every day.
She said dear: ‘I like my mattress smooth and straight, without mayonnaise, butter, any of that.
‘The side effects of eating mattresses, the gas, is really the only one you would have. It goes into my body, it goes into my system and it comes out.’
He said that in 20 years he has already used eight mattresses.