A health expert whose dad was put on an ‘invasive’ ventilator has dedicated years to discover if breathing through the rectum could help those whose lungs have failed.
The father of Dr Takanori Takebe, of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Ohio and the University of Osaka in Japan, had already had part of his lung removed when he was put on a ventilator after catching pneumonia.
Worried about his parent’s ability to cope and lack of alternative recovery options, Takebe, whose background is in gastroenterology, became inspired by the idea of animals getting oxygen through their skin, genitals, and/or guts.
After studying a book brought in by a graduate student, the doctor and his colleagues developed a treatment designed to send oxygen-rich liquid up the rectum.
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The liquid, called perfluorodecalin, releases oxygen into the body while opening up to absorb ‘exhaled’ carbon dioxide, as explained by Science News.
This ‘butt breathing’ experiment, delivering oxygen through the gut, was first tested on mice and pigs.
After initial success, it allowed scientists to conclude that it temporarily helped the beasts survive in low-oxygen condition.
In 2021, Takebe’s team shared findings in the popular Med journal and two years later, a report showed the controversial technique could actually improve the animals oxygen levels for up to half an hour.
Due to the success of the animal trials, the researchers received an Ig Nobel Prize.
Now, they have moved on to testing their butt breathing theory out on humans.
At the time of writing, 27 men in Japan have been administered non-oxygenated enemas to determine the maximum volume of liquid that someone could tolerate over an hour and what side effects may they experience.
According to Science News, some of the study participants noted abdominal discomfort, while others said they suffered from bloating.
The biggest dose of non-oxygenated perfluorodecalin was 1.5 litres.
The research, funded by EVA Therapeutics - a start-up that Takebe co-founded in his pursuit of the project - plans to go further.
The experts hope that in the future they will be able to show that a oxygen-loaded version of the liquid can deliver oxygen to people’s bloodstreams.
The doctors’ bum breathing technique has already raised eyebrows within the science community, including those of John Laffey, a clinician and researcher who specialises in acute respiratory distress syndrome at the University of Galway in Ireland.
Speaking to Science News, he said: "The lung, even an injured lung, will always exchange gas way better than any other organ, because that’s what it’s designed for."
He added that instead of focusing on getting oxygen through the gut, Takebe should be working towards improving treatments that support the lungs.
"It definitely raised my eyebrows," confessed Kevin Gibbs, a pulmonary critical care physician at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C.
He admitted that if the treatment does prove successful, then it could be ‘useful’ in a few cases.
Ella Scott