20-year-old Swiss man admitted to ICU after suffering rare lung injury from masturbating

A 20-year-old patient was admitted to an intensive care unit in Switzerland after he suffered a rare lung injury while masturbating.

The Swiss citizen reported a "sudden onset of sharp chest pain followed by shortness of breath while lying in bed masturbating", according to a study published in the May issue of the medical journal Radiology Case Reports.

The man, who has a history of mild asthma, rushed himself to Cantonal Hospital in Winterthur following chest pain.

According to a medical case report published in Radiology Case Reports, the unnamed male was hospitalized after experiencing shortness of breath and crunching pain throughout his body.

Doctors diagnosed him with 'spontaneous' pneumomediastinum (SPM), which sees air leak from the lung and become lodged in the ribcage.

In his case, the trapped air had spread around his body and even up to his skull. In more extreme cases, it can cause a collapsed lung.

The patient was given paracetamol to deal with his chest pain and was kept in the ICU overnight, before being transferred to the general ward the day after, where he stayed for three days before being discharged in good health.

(with sources inputs)