# @science on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DQJVv5jD0JB
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/36112416-science-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/8c1937807b.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-10-23T09:00:25.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Science 🧬 (@science) — https://gondola.cc/science

## Caption

Few scientific ideas have taken a more unexpected path to legitimacy than this one: breathing through the butt. The technique, known as enteral ventilation, could one day serve as a backup method for getting oxygen into the bloodstream when lungs fail or airways are blocked. Instead of inhaling air, patients would receive an oxygen-rich liquid through the rectum, allowing oxygen to diffuse through intestinal tissue much like certain fish and turtles that supplement breathing through their guts.⁠
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In Japan, researchers have now completed the first human safety trial of this approach. Twenty-seven healthy men were asked to hold varying volumes of perfluorodecalin, a liquid capable of dissolving extraordinary amounts of oxygen, for one hour. The experiment ranged from 25 milliliters to a full 1,500, and while several participants reported bloating and mild discomfort at higher volumes, none experienced serious side effects. Vital signs and blood chemistry remained stable, and twenty participants successfully retained the liquid for the full hour.⁠
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This stage of research was designed to test tolerance, not oxygen transfer, but it marks a crucial milestone. With safety confirmed, the next phase will introduce oxygenated perfluorodecalin to evaluate how effectively the process enriches the blood and how long it must be retained to make a measurable difference.⁠
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The implications stretch far beyond novelty. Mechanical ventilators, while lifesaving, can damage delicate lung tissue and are often in short supply during crises. Enteral ventilation could become a low-tech alternative for patients with respiratory failure, severe inflammation, or infection, and even for premature infants whose lungs are still developing. Once an Ig Nobel punchline, the concept now carries the weight of peer-reviewed promise, its first human results published October 20, 2025, in *Med*.⁠
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#science #medicine #respiratory #criticalcare #clinicaltrials #biomedical #innovation #oxygen #ignobel #neonatology #research⁠
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Source: 10.1016/j.medj.2025.100887

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## Tags

biomedical, oxygen, respiratory, neonatology, criticalcare, science, clinicaltrials, research, innovation, medicine, ignobel

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