Dutch man bitten by snake on toilet undergoes reconstructive surgery

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A man from the Netherlands had to have reconstructive surgery on his penis after suffering a bite from a cobra while sitting on the toilet.

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When he arrived at the hospital, his genitals were swollen and a deep purple colour, which doctors say indicated scrotal necrosis – more commonly referred to as “flesh-eating disease.”

He received multiple doses of a non-specific snake venom antiserum and broad-spectrum antibiotics, according to the medical report.

“The scrotal necrosis was reported to involve the entire fascia (skin to internal spermatic) and was excised with extensive margins,” read the report. “The defect in the penile shaft was treated by superficial debridement and a vacuum assisted closure pump.”

Nine days later, the man returned to the Netherlands where a plastic surgeon performed a “penile shaft debridement, with extensive resection of dead tissue extending into the corpus spongiosum to the fold of the preputium.”

Following that, a graft from his groin was placed over the penis.

He was discharged from hospital two weeks later.

In the man’s follow-up appointment, doctors found the wounds had successfully healed and function and sensation to his penis had fully recovered.