Man hospitalised following rare masturbation injury

In a first of its kind case, a 20-year-old Swiss man was admitted to an intensive care unit in hospital after he suffered from a rare lung injury while he was masturbating.

In a nutshell

The odd case was published in the May edition of the Radiology Case Reports medical journal by doctors at Kantonsspital Winterthur hospital in Switzerland due to the "unusual presentation of this entity."

According to the journal, the young adult was admitted to the hospital due “sudden onset of sharp chest pain followed by shortness of breath while lying in bed masturbating.”

Following one night in intensive care and three days in the hospital, doctors diagnosed the man with spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SPM) a rare condition that is caused by strenuous physical exercise and excessive coughing. SPM can cause air to leak from the lung where it can become lodged in a person's ribcage.

In the case of this patient, the trapped air had left his lungs and travelled to other parts of his body, “reaching up until the base of the skull.”

What has been said?

Dr Nikola Rajic and Dr Christian Schandl, the authors of the study said it is a condition “that mostly affects young men and generally follows a benign and self-limiting course.” They added, “Specific therapy is not necessary, although supporting care and short-term observation for respiratory compromise are reasonable.”

Unusual case

Although cases of SPM occur, what makes this case so unique is that “there are only a few reports of SPM related to sexual activity” and within that, there are no reports of SPM related to masturbation.

“Since there is no literature on spontaneous pneumomediastinum associated with autoerotic experiences, we consider our case an unusual presentation of this entity,” the studies authors said.

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