Rapid responses are electronic comments to the editor. They enable our users
to debate issues raised in articles published on bmj.com. A rapid response
is first posted online. If you need the URL (web address) of an individual
response, simply click on the response headline and copy the URL from the
browser window. A proportion of responses will, after editing, be published
online and in the print journal as letters, which are indexed in PubMed.
Rapid responses are not indexed in PubMed and they are not journal articles.
The BMJ reserves the right to remove responses which are being
wilfully misrepresented as published articles or when it is brought to our
attention that a response spreads misinformation.
From March 2022, the word limit for rapid responses will be 600 words not
including references and author details. We will no longer post responses
that exceed this limit.
The word limit for letters selected from posted responses remains 300 words.
Editor - We read Barr and Ashtons short article on the healthcare needs of
refugees and asylum seekers with great interest.
Unfortunately, state
authorities do not only engage in trying to solve the medical problems of
asylants, but sometimes state measures are the cause of dramatic medical
situations in asylants.
We would therefore like to draw attention to the
death of a young asylant in police custody this week: A 25 year old
healthy Nigerian asylant, who had been under the observation of three
police officers, died in restraint and with his mouth taped during the
flight from Austria to Bulgaria on May 3rd after his application for
asylum had been rejected by the Austrian authorities. The man had
obviously been in a state of violent agitation and hyperactivity and had
heavily opposed to being forced to leave the country. This is not the
first case of an unexpected death of an asylant in Europe in the last
years. Clearly even very basic human rights have heavily been violated in
this case, and secondly the medical knowledge of the potential hazards of
restraint-i.e. a dramatic impairment of hemodynamics and respiration-are
obviously not known to policemen in Europe (2). The lesson learned from
the casualties due to restraint in psychiatric patients and in drug
induced excited delirium should be kept in mind: Restraint should be used
only when the situation clearly justifies it and when there is no other
way to prevent physical harm to the person in custody or others and that
careful observation is mandatory. Paying attention to these demands would
probably have saved the young Nigerians life (3).
References:
(1) Barr D, Ashton JB: Meeting the healthcare needs of refugees and asylum
seekers. BMJ 1999;318:1291.
(2) Roeggla M, Wagner A, Mullner M, Bur A, Roeggla H, Hirschl MM, Laggner
AN, Roeggla G: Cardiorespiratory consequences to hobble restraint. Wien
Klin Wochenschr 1997;109:359-361.
(3)Pollanen MS, Chiasson DA, Cairns JT, Young JG: Unexpected death related
to restraint for excited delirium: a retrospective study of deaths in
police custody and in the community. CMAJ 1998;158:1603-1607.
Georg Röggla, Municipal Hospital of Neunkirchen
Martin Röggla,
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Vienna, Austria
Death of an asylum seeking Nigerian in police custody
Editor - We read Barr and Ashtons short article on the healthcare needs of
refugees and asylum seekers with great interest.
Unfortunately, state
authorities do not only engage in trying to solve the medical problems of
asylants, but sometimes state measures are the cause of dramatic medical
situations in asylants.
We would therefore like to draw attention to the
death of a young asylant in police custody this week: A 25 year old
healthy Nigerian asylant, who had been under the observation of three
police officers, died in restraint and with his mouth taped during the
flight from Austria to Bulgaria on May 3rd after his application for
asylum had been rejected by the Austrian authorities. The man had
obviously been in a state of violent agitation and hyperactivity and had
heavily opposed to being forced to leave the country. This is not the
first case of an unexpected death of an asylant in Europe in the last
years. Clearly even very basic human rights have heavily been violated in
this case, and secondly the medical knowledge of the potential hazards of
restraint-i.e. a dramatic impairment of hemodynamics and respiration-are
obviously not known to policemen in Europe (2). The lesson learned from
the casualties due to restraint in psychiatric patients and in drug
induced excited delirium should be kept in mind: Restraint should be used
only when the situation clearly justifies it and when there is no other
way to prevent physical harm to the person in custody or others and that
careful observation is mandatory. Paying attention to these demands would
probably have saved the young Nigerians life (3).
References:
(1) Barr D, Ashton JB: Meeting the healthcare needs of refugees and asylum
seekers. BMJ 1999;318:1291.
(2) Roeggla M, Wagner A, Mullner M, Bur A, Roeggla H, Hirschl MM, Laggner
AN, Roeggla G: Cardiorespiratory consequences to hobble restraint. Wien
Klin Wochenschr 1997;109:359-361.
(3)Pollanen MS, Chiasson DA, Cairns JT, Young JG: Unexpected death related
to restraint for excited delirium: a retrospective study of deaths in
police custody and in the community. CMAJ 1998;158:1603-1607.
Georg Röggla, Municipal Hospital of Neunkirchen
Martin Röggla,
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Vienna, Austria
Competing interests: No competing interests