Man hospitalised after forcing AA battery into his penis

An Iranian man ended up in the emergency room after inserting an AA battery into his penis.

Yes, you read that correctly, perhaps read on with caution if you're squeamish...

The 49-year-old told medics in Tehran back in April 2021 the battery had been in his genitals for 24 hours and an x-ray scan confirmed that the battery was lodged in his urethra, according to a new case study published in the medical journal Urology Case Reports from doctors at the Shahid Beheshti University in Iran's capital.

It was good news for the patient as doctors were able to remove the battery without needing to perform surgery, however, there were complications further down the line.

The man was referred to a hospital five months later after he still complained of having “recurrence of obstructive and irritating urinary symptoms including dysuria (burning sensation when peeing), decreased urinary force, decreased urinary caliber but no hematuria."

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

As a result of "severe and progressive damage" to the man's urethra, further scans showed a blockage of the tube that carries urine and semen through the penis due to a build-up of scar tissue.

Surgery was performed on the man's penis to help fix this problem which meant doctors had to cut his perineum — the part between his penis and anus — to get to the urethra without damaging his genitals.

To repair the damaged urethra, a skin graft from the inside of the man's cheeks and lips was used and after the surgery, the man remained in hospital for a further three weeks for observation purposes.

Images of what the scans showed and the AA battery that was removed from the man's penisScience Direct/ Urology Case Reports/Shahid Beheshti University

Six months later, the man's penis had fully recovered and was functioning properly again.

Although doctors are not certain as to the reason for the man's scarring, they believe it may have been due to the toxic chemicals that can be found inside batteries.

Now, you're probably thinking how did this happen?

Well, the story behind the battery insertion remains unclear as the man did not give any detail on how the AA battery ended up there.

Meanwhile, the report describes these kinds of cases as "rare" with various causes including "psychiatric illness, autoeroticism, intoxication, and perceived contraception." It was noted that the man in this particular scenario does not have a history of mental illness.

The report noted while someone who gets an object stuck in their body may be "ashamed" it also warned of the consequences if they delay in seeking urgent medical attention straight away.

"Visiting a doctor is usually unpleasant and the patient may be ashamed of it, but eventually, they visit the doctor due to urinary symptoms.

"Delay in visiting the doctor can lead to a complicated infection and Fournier gangrene (gangrene in the penis)," the report read.

It's not the first time a penis injury like this has happened, since back in September 2021, doctors in Nepal had to use a cable wire cutter after a man got his penis stuck in the neck of a plastic bottle.

Not a pleasant thought.

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.