, a man has been brought into the emergency room after he had experienced a sudden onset of sharp chest pain followed by a breath shortness while he was lying in his bed masturbating. As he had a history of mild asthma, he immediately rushed to the Cantonal Hospital in Winterthur after feeling a gush of pain in his chest.
On examination of the face, the doctors found that his face had swollen, and distinct cracking sounds were heard when he breathed in and out. A chest X-ray of the patient revealed that he had a rare condition called pneumomediastinum, or when air that circulates through the respiratory system ends up escaping into the space in the chest between the two lungs. The man’s air sacs were also damaged and he required high doses of oxygen.
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Pneumomediastinum can be caused by physical trauma to either lungs or esophagus. It can also arise spontaneously when a sudden increase in pressure within the chest cavity causes a tear in certain lung membranes, allowing air to leak.
This type of injury is more likely to occur in young men, and known triggers include an acute asthma attack, strenuous exercise, or violent vomiting.
Dr. Nikola Rajic and Dr. Christian Schandl, who were in the team of authors, said that this condition “mostly affects young men and generally follows a benign and self-limiting course.”
They said, “Specific therapy is not necessary, although supporting care and short-term observation for respiratory compromise are reasonable.“
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The case is reportedly unusual as “there are only a few reports of SPM related to sexual activity.” As per the authors, they have not been able to find any cases associated with autoeroticism.
To treat the patient’s chest pain, doctors had given him paracetamol and kept him under observation for two days. After that, he was shifted to the general ward and discharged a couple of days later as he recovered quickly.
In the report, doctors noted that this case of pneumomediastinum was unusual in that the injury was caused by masturbation, something that had not been seen before. So, this was the first-of-its-kind report of a young man who has suffered from lung injury that has been unusual.
Source: Medindia
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