Rectal rupture due to coffee enemas for detoxification.

Doctors at the Department of Gastrointestinal, Hepatobiliary, and Pancreatic Surgery at Bach Mai Hospital recently performed surgery to treat a case of rectal rupture caused by coffee enemas used for detoxification.

The patient, Ms. D.TP (38 years old), was admitted to the hospital due to severe lower pelvic pain accompanied by bloody diarrhea after undergoing a coffee enema detoxification treatment at a private clinic.

Improper enemas can cause rectal rupture.

Previously, the patient had used this method twice, each time a week apart. On the third attempt, during the enema itself, the patient experienced severe lower abdominal pain accompanied by rectal bleeding.

After taking a medical history, conducting a physical examination, and performing necessary tests, including an MRI scan revealing fluid and air accumulation in the retroperitoneal space, the doctors suspected rectal rupture. They decided to perform emergency surgery to treat the injury.

During the surgery, the doctors noted a rupture of the lower third of the rectum, causing a retroperitoneal abscess.

The surgical team sutured the rectal rupture, performed extensive retroperitoneal drainage, and created a sigmoid colostomy. After 14 days, the patient was discharged and resumed normal eating and activities; however, Ms. P. will have to undergo another surgery in a few months to close the colostomy.

A surgeon noted that, although fortunate to have survived thanks to timely surgery, Ms. P, who was previously a healthy person, had to endure two major surgeries, significantly impacting her current and future health, simply because she believed unfounded information and false advertisements for selling products and treatments.

Inflammation and rupture of the colon and rectum.

According to Bach Mai Hospital, a detoxification method is circulating online that is claimed to have many benefits, such as relieving constipation and curing various ailments. This method involves administering coffee enemas through the rectum with the goal of "cleansing" the colon.

Videos instruct viewers to use a type of coffee "specifically for colon detoxification" and boil it with filtered water. The coffee solution is then poured into a bag and hung up or placed into "specialized enema devices," with the other end of the tube inserted into the anus. The person performing the procedure lies relaxed as the coffee solution flows into their body. Most such procedures are performed at home or in some unlicensed medical facilities.

However, doctors from the Department of Gastrointestinal, Hepatobiliary, and Pancreatic Surgery stated that scientific evidence both domestically and internationally has not confirmed the effectiveness of this detoxification method, and recently, treatment facilities have recorded dangerous complications caused by this method. One of these is rectal rupture due to improper enema administration, and it can also cause colitis.

In fact, enemas that inject coffee into the rectum reduce rectal stimulation, eventually leading to a loss of rectal reflexes, making bowel movements impossible without a coffee enema.

Simultaneously, the loss of rectal reflexes increases the risk of rectal rupture during subsequent enemas, as the patient no longer feels the urge to defecate. Furthermore, administering medication through an unnatural route disrupts the balance of the gut microbiome. Harvard Medical School has warned that bowel cleansing can lead to dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, impaired bowel function, and disruption of the gut microbiota.

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