A 19-year-old man from Kaohsiung underwent life-saving surgery after developing septic shock and other complications following a diaphragm-busting push-up workout, Kaohsiung Municipal Ta-Tung Hospital thoracic surgeon Chang Po-chih (張博智) said.
It is believed that the man, a college student with no disabilities, suffered a catastrophic injury while doing “a few more than 20 push-ups” in late January, Chang was quoted as saying in the Chinese-language Apple Daily.
The man made a full recovery following surgery and 46 days of rehabilitation at the hospital, Chang said.
The man stopped exercising after feeling a “dull pain” in his lower abdomen, which did not abate in the following two days and he eventually lost consciousness and was taken to hospital, Chang said.
The man was diagnosed with septic shock soon after his arrival and examinations revealed a 10cm internal wound in his diaphragm, which had caused his stomach and pancreas to intrude into his thoracic cavity and become gangrenous, Chang said.
The man’s heart was dislocated, a lung had collapsed, and his kidney and liver were failing, Chang said.
The gravity of the man’s injuries required immediate surgery, Chang said, adding that he and general surgeon Wu Cheng-che (巫承哲) removed most of the man’s stomach, his pancreas and 2 liters of pus.
The man then received treatment for liver and kidney failure, peritonitis and sepsis in an intensive care unit, which saved his life, although he continues to return to the hospital on a weekly basis for observation, Chang said.
It was due to his youth and robust state of health that the man recovered from the septic shock, which kills 50 percent of sufferers, Chang said.
The diaphragm is a crucial anatomical structure that separates the thoracic and abdominal cavities, attending thoracic surgeon Lee Yen-lung (李彥龍) was quoted as saying in the newspaper article.
Although the man’s case is a first in medical literature, it is theoretically possible for an abnormally thin diaphragm to tear from doing push-ups, Lee said.
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