Effects of N95 Masks Versus Surgical/Loop Masks on Arterial Blood Gases and Adverse Symptoms in Operating Room Staff...

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a catastrophic impact on the global population. N95 masks are commonly used as filtering facepiece respirators for healthcare workers. At the end of long shifts, they have reported headaches, dizziness, fatigue, exhaustion, and physical and mental discomfort. There is a lack of data on the effects of N95 masks on blood gases in healthcare workers who wear masks for longer durations. We analyzed and compared the effects of continuously wearing N95 versus loop/surgical masks on various symptomology parameters and arterial blood gases for longer durations.

This was a non-blinded, pilot, observational study at a single academic institution. Utilizing a survey, we collected information on operating room staff volunteers (demographics, mask use, and symptoms) and measured transcutaneous partial pressure carbon dioxide (tcPCO₂) and oxygen saturation (SpO₂) before and after the subject's shift to identify changes.

Thirty-nine subjects enrolled in the study (N95 mask = 13, loop/surgical mask = 26). Overall, 69.2% of the subjects continuously wore a mask for five or more hours on their shift. There was a statistical difference with reported fatigue with exclusively wearing an N95 mask versus a loop/surgical mask (p=0.017). None of the other parameters showed a statistical difference between groups. The tcPCO₂ was not statistically different between mask types at the beginning of the shift (p=0.922) or at the end of the shift (p=0.188), although tcPCO₂ levels increased. The SpO₂ was not statistically different between the mask types at the beginning of the shift (p=0.883) or at the end of the shift (p=0.505) with SpO₂ decreasing.

Individuals exclusively wearing an N95 mask reported a statistically greater number of complaints of fatigue after their shift. No statistical differences were observed in arterial blood gas parameters measured for SpO₂ and tcPCO₂ between mask groups. No definitive conclusions can be made due to the small sample size.