The 7 bizarre cases of ‘bed pan syndrome’ – where patients defecated themselves to death
THE king of rock and roll, Elvis Presley, famously met his end on a peculiar type of throne – the toilet.
Some believe he died of a heart attack caused by decades of drug abuse.
Others say his weight and diet – which towards the end mostly consisted of a platter of cheeseburgers – saw him off.
But it was Elvis’ doctor who famously speculated that a cardiac arrest brought on by straining is what finally did the King in.
And as odd as it may sound, there’s a pretty well-established link between dropping a dump and dropping down dead.
There are a few different ways pooping can kill you, one being ‘bed pan syndrome’ – a term coined by a team of doctors in the Caribbean.
It happens when someone poos and suffers a pulmonary embolism at the same time.
A deadly condition that can kill in minutes, a PE is when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel in your lungs.
It often happens when part of a clot in the leg breaks off and travels to your lungs, stopping blood flow. Left untreated, it can kill within minutes.
Certain medical conditions, such as heart failure, diabetes and high blood pressure can increase the risk of the condition.
People who are pregnant or those who have just had a baby are also at greater risk.
Writing in the Journal of Lung, Pulmonary & Respiratory Research, docs from the General Hospital San Fernando reported on seven bizarre cases of where patients who suffered from ‘bed pan syndrome’ to find out why it typically happens.
All patients died from a saddle pulmonary embolism, a life-threatening blood clot which stops blood flow to both lungs.
This happened while they were going to the toilet, or very shortly afterwards.
Five of the patients were female and two were male. Their ages ranged from between 34 and 86 years old.
One man, who was 74 at the time, had diabetes and had recently undergone surgery to fix a fractured hip.
Another was a 68 -year-old male who just had a radical prostatectomy to remove his cancerous prostate.
A woman, who was 89, had been diagnosed with metastatic gastric cancer, stomach cancer which had spread to other parts of the body.
Two of the patients – a 50-year-old man and a 71-year-old woman – suffered from several underlying health issues including diabetes and heart disease.
Another, a 67-year-old woman, had Parkinson’s disease, a condition that causes part of the brain to deteriorate.
The youngest patient, a 34-year-old woman, had just given birth and was suffering from deep vein thrombosis (DVT), when a blood clot forms in one or more of the deep veins in the body, usually in the legs.
She had used a bed pan, a container used to collect urine and faeces – while lying in a hospital bed, in the moments before her death – hence the name ‘bed pain syndrome’.
HOW POOING CAN KILL
For the two men, who underwent a prostatectomy and hip op, docs said the pooping may have just been a side effect of the blood clot from the hip region emigrating upwards.
As the blood clot moved up the body, it could have sparked the sensation of needing to poop, they explained.
“The urge to defecate is a clinical sign that pulmonary embolism might be eminent in those patients who are at risk,” they added.
However, there is another theory, which suggests pooping actually causes the blood clot to move.
When we get ready to drop one, we instinctively employ a breathing technique called the Valsalva manoeuvre, which helps you strain.
It involves taking in a deep breath and holding it, before trying to exhale against your closed-off airway.
This expands your lungs and pushes down your diaphragm.
Your diaphragm, in turn, pushes down on your abdominal organs, which puts pressure on your pelvis.
As a result, the muscles in your anus gently open up, allowing the stool to come out.
Docs said this act of straining may cause a blood clot from elsewhere in the body, such as the leg, to break off and travel to the lungs, leading to a pulmonary embolism.
Signs to watch for going for a number 2 - and when to see a doctor
Everyone's poo habits are different.
Anything from three times a day to three times a week can be in the normal range.
Get to know what is normal for you, so you know when something is wrong.
Any changes to our toilet habits, whether it be going more frequently or less, experiencing loose stools, diarrhoea or constipation, are considered a potential warning sign of bowel cancer.
If there any changes to your ‘normal’, it might be something to bring up with a doctor.
The changes could also be caused by digestive conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
It can cause stomach cramps, bloating, diarrhoea and constipation, with symptoms coming and going or lasting for days or weeks.
Everything causing a change in your bowel habits can be scary – they can be altered by how much water you’re drinking or what you’re eating.
NHS guidance recommends you speak to a GP if you notice a persistent change in your bowel habits for three weeks or more.
WHAT ARE BLOOD CLOTS AND WHAT ARE THE SIGNS?
There are two types of blood clots.
When a clot occurs in an artery, it’s called an arterial clot. This can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
A blood clot in a vein is called a venous clot, with the most serious type being DVT.
These clots may build up more slowly over time, but can still be life-threatening.
According to Stop The Clot, signs of a blood clot in the leg or arm include:
A blood clot may break off and travel to the lungs, causing a pulmonary embolism (PE).
Signs of a blood clot in the lung include:
- Difficulty breathing
- Chest pain that worsens with a deep breath or lying down
- Coughing or coughing up blood
- Faster than normal or irregular heartbeat
As the NHS states, there are a number of factors that could put you at risk of a blood clot. These include:
- Staying in or having recently left hospital – especially if you can’t move around much (like after an operation)
- Being overweight
- Smoking
- Using combined hormonal contraception such as the combined pill, contraceptive patch or vaginal ring
- Having had a blood clot before