Sword swallowing and its side effects - PMC
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BMJ<br>. 2006 Dec 23;333(7582):1285–1287. doi: 10.1136/bmj.39027.676690.55
Sword swallowing and its side effects
Brian Witcombe<br>Brian Witcombe
1Department of Radiology, Gloucestershire Royal NHS Foundation Trust, Gloucester GL1 3NN
consultant radiologist
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1,✉, Dan Meyer<br>Dan Meyer
2Sword Swallowers' Association International, 3729 Belle Oaks Drive, Antioch, Tennessee 37013, USA
executive director
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Author information
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1Department of Radiology, Gloucestershire Royal NHS Foundation Trust, Gloucester GL1 3NN
2Sword Swallowers' Association International, 3729 Belle Oaks Drive, Antioch, Tennessee 37013, USA
✉Correspondence to: B Witcombe brian.witcombe@glos.nhs.uk
✉Corresponding author.
Roles
Brian Witcombe : consultant radiologist
Dan Meyer : executive director
Accepted 2006 Oct 28.
© BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 2006
PMC Copyright notice
PMCID: PMC1761150 PMID: 17185708
Abstract
Objective<br>To evaluate information on the practice and associated ill effects of sword swallowing.
Design<br>Letters sent to sword swallowers requesting information on technique and complications.
Setting<br>Membership lists of the Sword Swallowers' Association International.
Participants<br>110 sword swallowers from 16 countries.
Results<br>We had information from 46 sword swallowers. Major complications are more likely when the swallower is distracted or swallows multiple or unusual swords or when previous injury is present. Perforations mainly involve the oesophagus and usually have a good prognosis. Sore throats are common, particularly while the skill is being learnt or when performances are too frequent. Major gastrointestinal bleeding sometimes occurs, and occasional chest pains tend to be treated without medical advice. Sword swallowers without healthcare coverage expose themselves to financial as well as physical risk.
Conclusions<br>Sword swallowers run a higher risk of injury when they are distracted or adding embellishments to their performance, but injured performers have a better prognosis than patients who suffer iatrogenic perforation.
Introduction
Sword swallowers know their occupation is dangerous. The Sword Swallowers' Association International (SSAI, www.swordswallow.org) recognises those who can swallow a non-retractable, solid steel blade at least two centimetres wide and 38 centimetres long. As we found only two English language case reports of injury resulting from sword swallowing,1<br>2 we explored the technique and side effects of this unusual practice.
Methods
We sent a letter to members and contacts of the association asking if they were willing for data held in its archives to be published and asking how they learnt the technique and how many swords they had swallowed in the previous three months. We did not send out a medical questionnaire but invited swallowers to describe any medical problems associated with sword swallowing. One medical adviser was approached after one swallower, injured during the course of the study, gave her consent, and a few close associates of one of the authors (DM) answered direct medical questions. We obtained written consent from everyone whose history is mentioned. We excluded cases in which injury was related to swallowing items other than swords, such as glass, neon tubes, spear guns, or jack hammers.
Results
We sent letters to 110 members or contacts of the association in 16 countries; 48 responded and 46 (41.8%) consented to information being published (40 were men). The average age was 31 (range 16-64). Most were self taught and described how they learnt the technique. The average age when they learnt sword swallowing was 25 (range 13-46); nine learnt as teenagers. The average height was 176 cm (range 58-191 cm), average weight 79 kg (range 46-127 kg), and the longest sword swallowed was on average 60 cm (range 43-79 cm). There was no apparent correlation between the length of the longest sword each person could swallow and their height (correlation coefficient 0.20) or weight (−0.08). Twenty five had swallowed more than one sword at a time, five had swallowed more than 10 at a time, and one had swallowed 16 swords together (fig 1). Over the previous three...