Safety and comfort of wearing medical masks in adult surgical patients after general anesthesia during the COVID-19 epidemic: a retrospective, observational cohort study

Lv, Feng; Xiong, Qiuju; Min, Su; Chen, Jing; Ren, Li; Zhu, Zunyan; Shen, Yiwei; Huang, Fusen; Hu, Jun; Li, Jing

OBJECTIVE: This study assessed oxygen saturation variation and comfort in adult surgical patients wearing masks in PACU during the COVID-19 epidemic. DESIGN: Retrospective observation was applied in this study. METHODS: 137 patients wearing no medical masks (Group A, aged from 20 to 87) and 136 patients wearing medical masks (Group B, aged from 18 to 91) were selected in this retrospective study after extubation in PACU. After that, their pulse oxygen saturation, noninvasive mean blood pressure and heart rate were recorded at two different time points (treated with 40% O(2) oxygen therapy for 10 min and breathing room air for 10 min). The comfort, arterial blood gas data, complications and duration of patients were also reviewed in PACU. FINDINGS: There were no significant differences in the pulse oxygen saturation between the two groups after inhaling 40% O(2) or air. Compared with Group A, patients in Group B have lower comfort (6[4-7] vs. 7[6-8]) (P<0.001), with shortened duration after extubation in PACU (50[45-55] vs. 56[48-60]) (P<0.001). No significant differences were found in heart rate, noninvasive mean blood pressure, arterial blood gas data and complications. And no hypoxaemia and respiratory adverse events happened in two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Wearing medical masks cannot reduce oxygen saturation in adult surgical patients during recovery from general anesthesia. The discomfort caused by masks should be concerned in PACU.