Teenagers enjoy playing paintball by organizing competitions at birthday parties or playgrounds. They hit players with pellets or breakable color balls using paintball guns powered with carbon dioxide or compressed nitrogen. Players must wear protective masks to protect themselves. Though it is fun, several studies have reported cases of eye damage and health experts have warned about its related injuries to the face and eyes.
‘A teenager suffered a ruptured liver after a pellet hit on his side while playing paintball. Therefore, always wear protective masks and play according to the sport guidelines to prevent organ injuries.’
But a new case reported in the journal BMJ found that a 18-year-old boy admitted in the emergency room of a hospital for symptoms of appendicitis had pooling of blood in the liver due to paintball. The boy had been suffering from severe stomach pain and was suspected to have appendicitis. Doctors were forced to conduct an emergency surgery, but as they looked closer at his abdomen, they were shocked to see internal bleeding in the liver.
They immediately treated the patient and sent him home. But after three weeks he was readmitted due to pooling of blood in his liver. With further medical assistance, his body started to absorb the pooled blood.
When doctors enquired him, they found that the boy had played paintball with his friends a few days back and had been hit with a pellet on his lower abdomen.
Pellets can travel at a speed of 300 feet per second, potentially harming the place of contact. This velocity can lead to blindness and other possible organ damages.
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Source-Medindia