This might be one of the most unexpected milestones in modern science, but researchers have successfully tested enteral ventilation (a process that delivers oxygen through the rectum) on humans for the first time. The results? Totally safe.
The study, published in Med, confirms that this so-called "butt breathing" technique didn't cause any serious side effects among the 27 healthy male volunteers who participated. Instead of air, the team used a liquid called perfluorodecalin.
Participants didn't actually receive oxygen this time (this was just a safety trial) but the outcome paves the way for future tests using oxygenated perfluorodecalin, which could help patients with respiratory failure or newborns struggling to breathe after birth.
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"Enteral ventilation is not meant to replace mechanical ventilators," explained lead researcher Takanori Takebe of Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Osaka University, "but to serve as a complementary oxygenation route."
The idea was inspired by certain fish and amphibians that can absorb oxygen through their intestines when underwater. And yes, before you ask, this isn't the first time we've seen oxygenated liquids in action. Remember The Abyss (1989). Or check out the video above.
The concept earned Takebe's team an Ig Nobel Prize in 2024, a tongue-in-cheek award given to scientific achievements that "make people laugh, then think." And now, it seems the laugh might just turn into a life-saving innovation.
Next up? Testing the technique on patients with real respiratory distress.