Specialties & Diseases > Emergency Medicine

Penis fractures, broken heart syndrome, and other surprising health risks populating the ER on Valentine’s Day

By Claire Wolters | Fact-checked by Davi Sherman

Published February 13, 2025

Key Takeaways

Industry Buzz

“One of the hallmarks of this is that often the heart function improves on its own. But it can recur, and [taking care of] one's mental health is important to avoid recurrence.” — Jennifer Wong, MD

This Valentine’s Day, don’t forget about your patients who are recently single, widowed, or have lost a loved one—the emotional aftermath of a breakup or loss can take a toll on someone’s mental health. Broken hearts, surprisingly enough, can also trigger cardiac events.

But this isn’t the only health risk plaguing the holiday of love. For starters, overeating on Valentine’s Day can lead to gastrointestinal distress if meals are contaminated or undercooked. Drinking too much alcohol—a celebratory activity that ramps up on the holiday—can also lead to GI discomfort, headaches, vomiting, alcohol poisoning, or even death.

Allergic reactions can also be quite common, as there’s the chance you or your Valentine is allergic to an ingredient in your holiday meal or one of the flowers in their gifted bouquet.

How'd THAT get in THERE?

But some doctors report more surprising health scares on Valentine’s Day. On social media, doctors and nurses discuss instances where patients have shown up at the ER on February 14 after freak incidents like swallowing engagement rings hidden in chocolate—or even swallowing bottles of beer.

Dying from a broken heart

Many people suffer severe emotional distress around Valentine’s Day, such as that caused by loss, which can lead to the phenomenon of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, aka “broken heart syndrome.”^[] This follows emotional trauma (like a broken heart) and can feature heart attack-like symptoms.

Symptoms of broken heart syndrome may include shortness of breath, sudden and severe chest pain, fainting, weakening of the heart’s left ventricle, irregular heartbeats, heart palpitations, and low blood pressure.^[]

Jennifer Wong, MD, cardiologist and Medical Director of Non-Invasive Cardiology at MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center, says that some of her patients have sought care for this condition when experiencing signs and symptoms of a heart attack following the death of their romantic partner. Dr. Wong adds that catecholamines, which act as neurotransmitters and hormones and play a role in how the body responds to stress, are thought to play a role in how broken heart syndrome develops.

“I've seen [broken heart syndrome] happen with emotional stress, like sadness, and sometimes physical stress,” Dr. Wong tells MDLinx. “I suppose, in theory, any severe emotion could trigger it, but often what I've seen in practice has been people with severe emotional, sad types of stress.” But, some good news: “One of the hallmarks of this is that often the heart function improves on its own,” Dr. Wong says. “But it can recur, and [taking care of] one's mental health is important to avoid recurrence.”

The ‘lover’s fracture’

Another Valentine’s Day anomaly is that of the “lover’s fracture”—calcaneus fractures are rare but severe injuries, often caused by high-energy trauma such as falls.^[] Also dubbed the “Casanova fracture,” this injury is often sustained after a husband comes home to find his wife in bed with another man—so the lover tries to escape his wrath by jumping out of the window.

These fractures account for 50-60% of all tarsal fractures, predominantly affecting young males. The injury typically flattens, widens, and shortens the bone, sometimes leading to stress fractures from overuse. High-impact forces compress the calcaneus against the talus, producing characteristic fracture patterns. Diagnosis relies on X-rays and CT scans, and treatment may involve surgery to restore anatomy.^[]

An even worse kind of fracture...

Nothing kills the mood on Valentine’s Day quite like a snap, followed by instant regret. While love may be blind, it certainly isn’t immune to physics—especially when an overly enthusiastic rendezvous results in a penile fracture.

Contrary to what some panicked patients assume, there’s no actual bone involved, just a ruptured tunica albuginea, often accompanied by an alarming “pop” and rapid deflation (of more than just the mood).^[] While some may cling to the hope that it’ll “just heal on its own,” delayed treatment can lead to long-term complications, including curvature and erectile dysfunction—making swift surgical repair the best way to salvage both form and function. So this Valentine’s Day, remind your patients: passion is great, but controlled enthusiasm might just save them a trip to the OR.