- Hey, if it cures the condition…
Suddenly getting touched in an unexpected place is sure to make your heart jump. But it can apparently also slow it down.
The hero of our story can vouch for that.
A young man from New York suddenly developed heart palpitations, with his heart racing at a dangerously high rate. He was taken to a hospital, where the doctors immediately began to prepare him for medication and a thorough examination.
As part of routine checks for the man’s condition, the hospital staff had to make sure he was not suffering from internal bleeding. The fastest and most reliable way to do that is to stick a finger in the patient’s butt and check if it comes back bloody.
So, the doctor carried out the inglorious procedure. And just like that, the man’s heart rate slowed down to a normal speed.
Even months later, the man remained completely healthy. Doctors believe that getting a finger where the sun doesn’t shine stimulated a major nerve running through the body, which released whatever tension the man’s heart muscles were carrying.
Now, the medical world is faced with an unexpected question: should a finger up the butt become a new standard care procedure for heart issues?
Sudden Heart Problem
At the heart (pun slightly intended) of the bizarre medical story is a 29-year-old man from Queens, New York. The incident was detailed in a case report published in the journal Clinical Medicine Insights.
Our young man had a pretty much perfect health record. He was athletic, had no history of significant health issues, and had even given up his smoking habit years ago.
Despite it all, he suddenly developed heart palpitations while on his way home from a convenience store. Without warning, his heart rate jumped through the roof and wouldn’t come down.
To give you an idea of how bad the problem was, during later measurements, the man’s heartbeat reached speeds past 140 beats per minute. An average adult’s resting heart rate should sit between 60 and 100 bpm, with 140 being something you’d see during strenuous exercise.
In other words, something was very wrong. With that, the man checked himself in at an emergency room.
Digital Rectal Exam
It’s a good thing he did, too, because the doctors quickly diagnosed him with atrial fibrillation (AFib), a condition where the patient’s heart rate alternates between fast and slow in quick succession. In most cases, it’s not dangerous, but it does need immediate attention as it could be a sign of heart failure or an embolism.
As the doctors took the man in, they hooked him up to a heart rate monitor and gave him a preliminary small dose of medication designed to slow his heart rate. Then, they pulled on the rubber gloves and prepared to stick a finger up his butt.
The doctors weren’t trying to molest the guy, though. A digital rectal exam (DRE) (“digital” in the sense of a “digit,” not computerized) is a required medical procedure when evaluating certain heart conditions.
It’s done to determine whether the patient suffers from gastrointestinal bleeding, which could affect the heart rate. The DRE is simply the fastest and most reliable way to do so — if the finger comes out of the hole bloody, there’s intestinal bleeding.
So, in the finger went. Almost immediately, the man’s heart rate dropped to a healthy 80 bpm.
And that’s where it stayed. As if by a miracle, the man was cured.
With no need for further procedures, the doctors sent him home after a short observation period. At a check-in three months later, he had no issues and was as healthy as ever.
Striking a Nerve
So why did the magic finger in the man’s butt stop his heart from racing? According to the doctors, it’s all because of the vagus nerve.
This long nerve, also called the cranial nerve X, runs through your body from the brain to the butthole. Along the way, it connects to most of your internal organs, from the lungs to the heart, liver, stomach, and intestines.
The vagus nerve’s job is to transfer information between your brain and innards. It’s largely in charge of the parasympathetic nervous system, which controls your involuntary actions like breathing, heartbeat, and digestion.
Despite its significance, doctors don’t perfectly understand how and why the vagus nerve does the things it does. Stimulating parts of it can cause surprising effects in other areas the nerve touches.
That’s what the doctors think happened here.
When the doctor pushed his finger in the man’s rear, he inadvertently touched the ends of his vagus nerve. That must’ve sent a signal racing up the nerve and into the man’s heart, which interpreted it as a call to slow down — and the heart obeyed.
According to the doctors, the medication they gave the man couldn’t have been responsible for slowing down his heart rate, as the effect was too fast and sudden. The only explanation is that getting fingered made his heart skip a beat, and that was just what he needed.
Standard Finger-Butt Methodology?
Well, the finger-butt methodology definitely helped this young man. Could it then help others as well?
It certainly could, and the doctors are suggesting just that. According to the case report, a DRE could be “an additional method” to treat AFib patients.
In other words, perhaps sticking a finger in the patient’s butthole should become something doctors attempt in all heart palpitation cases.
Frankly, they already do, since the internal bleeding test requires it. However, this case could indicate that doctors should be more purposeful with their fingers and seek to stimulate the vagus nerve while they’re in there.
However, this unusual method will certainly need more tests and research before it becomes a standard procedure. So, who’s going to volunteer as a test subject?
Want to know more about the vagus nerve (and other organs)? Read our list of 10 weird and gross things your body does.