Hospital patients getting a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) exam during the coronavirus pandemic are being warned not to wear face masks with metal because the masks could get hot and burn them.
The Food and Drug Administration said Monday it recently received a report in which a patient's face was burned while wearing their mask during the MRI. The burns were consistent with the shape of the mask. The agency did not say how severe the burns were.
Metal can often be found in nose pieces meant to hold some masks in place. But they can also be found in nanoparticles or in antimicrobial coating that could contain metal such as silver or copper.
Patients are advised to ask the person performing the MRI to confirm whether the mask has metal in it. Hospitals are also asked to be proactive in checking masks.
Those who do have their face burned by their mask during an MRI are asked to report it to the FDA so the agency can track the information.
The FDA says MRI machines use strong magnets and radio waves to take pictures of the inside of the body. Burns from people wearing metal during their MRI exam is a known hazard.
