Testimony has ended in the trial of Donald Thompson, the former judge accused of using a penis pump while presiding over an Oklahoma courtroom. According to the AP, jurors giggled at an exchange that began when a defense attorney referred to the penis pump as an out-of-date treatment for erectile dysfunction. "I still use those," said an expert witness. "Not you, personally?" asked the lawyer. "No," replied the witness. "I recommend those as a urologist." Wait, do penis pumps really work?
Yes, they do. Doctors view the penis pump or "vacuum constriction device," as it's called in the business as a reasonable, low-cost treatment for erectile dysfunction. A report from the American Urological Association says that constriction devices might be useful in cases where PDE5-inhibitor drugs like Viagra are ineffective. Still, most men (or couples) don't like using the penis pump: The report concludes that "low patient acceptability limits the application or use of this therapy."
The device consists of an acrylic tube and a pumping mechanism, which can be a squeeze ball, a hand grip, a plunger, or an electric device. As the user pumps air out of the tube, the resulting vacuum increases blood flow into his erectile tissue. He then slides a "constriction ring" over the base of his penis to maintain the erection when he removes the tube.
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