The danger of inappropriate use of personal protective equipment
Malta Medical Journal
; 35(1):114-118, 2023.
Article
in English
| GIM | ID: covidwho-20240206
ABSTRACT
The coronavirus pandemic is a global health emergency which has had widespread unforeseen mental health consequences. Those with borderline personality disorder are predisposed to poor coping strategies to manage such stress and require intense psychological input which was not widely available during the peak of the pandemic. It is likely that the coronavirus outbreak has had a significant impact on the mental stability of such patients aggravating deliberate self-harm behaviours. A 20-year old psychiatric in-patient with borderline personality disorder, held under Section III of the mental health act, presented to the adult plastic surgery team in Bristol with localised infection of her right forearm. Foreign bodies were easily palpable and imaging revealed linear metal objects. The patient reported that she had removed metal strips from her collection of face masks and inserted them into her forearm as an act of deliberate self-harm. The patient was taken to operating theatre for removal of these foreign bodies under general anaesthetic. After twenty-four hours of antibiotics she was discharged safely back to the psychiatric ward. Despite the epilogue of the COVID-19 pandemic facemasks are still mandatory within the hospital setting. Clinicians need to be aware of these unusual circumstances where a form of protective equipment was deconstructed to cause actual bodily harm. The purpose of this report is to promote awareness of this type of injury especially in those suffering from mental illness. The authors would suggest an alternative mask without any form of metal.
abnormal behaviour; antibiotics; case reports; clinical aspects; coronavirus disease 2019; disease prevention; drug therapy; facemasks; foreign bodies; health protection; human diseases; medical treatment; mental disorders; protective clothing; self-harm; trauma; viral diseases; man; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; England; Uk; Great Britain; British Isles; Western Europe; Europe; Commonwealth of Nations; high income countries; OECD Countries; very high Human Development Index countries; Homo; Hominidae; primates; mammals; vertebrates; Chordata; animals; eukaryotes; Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus; Betacoronavirus; Coronavirinae; Coronaviridae; Nidovirales; positive-sense ssRNA Viruses; ssRNA Viruses; RNA Viruses; viruses; abnormal behavior; deviant behaviour; behavior; clinical picture; chemotherapy; mental illness; SARS-CoV-2; traumas; Britain; United Kingdom; viral infections
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Collection:
Databases of international organizations
Database:
GIM
Language:
English
Journal:
Malta Medical Journal
Year:
2023
Document Type:
Article
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