THE EFFECT OF SURGICAL MASK AND N95 MASK USE ON SURGICAL SMOKE IN OPERATING ROOM NURSES

February 9, 2026 updated by: Hilal Çetin Baltutar, Bartın Unıversity

COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTS OF SURGICAL MASK AND N95 MASK USE ON PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS OF SURGICAL SMOKE IN OPERATING ROOM

This study was conducted to compare the effect of surgical mask and N95 mask use on physical symptoms due to surgical smoke in operating theatre nurses. The study, which was conducted in a single-group prospective quasi-experimental design, was completed with 38 nurses in the operating theatre unit of a state hospital in the Western Black Sea Region. Data were collected for four weeks using the Descriptive Information Form, Numerical Rating Scale and Symptom Follow-up Form. According to the findings, muscle weakness, myalgia in the upper extremities and muscle cramps were statistically significantly less in nurses using N95 masks. Respiratory parameters, watery eyes and redness were significantly lower in nurses using surgical masks. As a result, it was determined that the type of mask was effective on the incidence of physical symptoms related to surgical smoke.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

38

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Bartın
      • Bartın, Bartın, Turkey (Türkiye), 74100
        • Recruiting
        • Bartın State Hospital
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Willingness to participate in the study
  • Aged 18 years or older
  • Working as a sterile operating room nurse at least 4 hours per day, 5 days per week
  • Compliance with the protocol requiring continuous use of both surgical mask and N95 mask for at least 4 hours per day
  • Ability to communicate verbally and provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosed psychiatric disorders
  • Presence of chronic respiratory, musculoskeletal, or neurological diseases
  • Presence of chronic dermatological conditions or allergies affecting the facial or respiratory area
  • Speech or communication impairments
  • Pregnancy
  • Holding a supervisory role (e.g., charge nurse) or non-sterile nursing role
  • Planned unit change or rotation during the study period

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Surgical Mask
Operating room nurses used a standard surgical mask during surgical procedures with exposure to surgical smoke.
Device: Surgical Mask
Standard surgical masks were used by operating room nurses during surgical procedures with exposure to surgical smoke.
Other Names:
  • Medical Surgical Mask
Experimental: N95 Mask
Operating room nurses used an N95 respirator during surgical procedures with exposure to surgical smoke.
Device: N95 Mask
N95 respirators were used by operating room nurses during surgical procedures with exposure to surgical smoke.
Other Names:
  • N95 Respirator

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Surgical Smoke-Related Physical Symptom Severity (Total NRS Score)
Time Frame: Five days per week for a duration of four weeks both preoperatively and postoperatively
The severity of physical symptoms related to surgical smoke exposure in operating room nurses, including headache, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, fatigue/weakness, loss of appetite, and dyspnea, was assessed using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS). Each symptom was rated on a standardized numeric scale, and a total symptom severity score was calculated by summing the individual symptom scores. Higher scores indicate greater symptom severity.
Five days per week for a duration of four weeks both preoperatively and postoperatively

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Bartın Unıversity

Collaborators

Bartin State Hospital

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: sevim çelik, Professor, Bartin University Health Science Faculty

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

September 15, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

September 15, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

February 28, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 31, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 9, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

February 12, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 9, 2026

Last Verified

December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • BARU-SBF-2025-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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