Man Lands in ICU With Lung Injury After Aggressive Masturbation Session

A Swiss citizen took “painful pleasure” a little too far.

According to an article published in Radiology Case Reports, a 20-year-old man was recently hospitalized after experiencing a shortness of breath and crunching pain throughout his body. Doctors at Cantonal Hospital in Winterthur immediately diagnosed the patient with spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SPM)—a rare, benign disease that occurs when air leaks from the lungs and becomes lodged in the ribcage.

As pointed out by the New York Post, the condition typically affects young men, and is brought on by extreme exercise or uncontrollable coughing fits. The man told doctors he did not engage in heavy exercise, nor did he smoke, use drugs, or experience any coughs; however, he admitted he began exhibiting symptoms during an aggressive masturbation session.

The study’s lead authors, Dr. Nikola Rajic and Dr. Christian Schandl, noted that the injury has previously been caused by intense sex, but was never associated with autoerotic experiences until this case. They say the man arrived at the facility with a swollen face, as well as a crunching noise that could be heard from neck, chest, and down to his elbows.

Doctors transferred the man to the intensive care unit, where he was placed on oxygen support and given antibiotics to ward off a potential infection. He was moved to the general ward in the following 24 hours, and was monitored over the next three days.