ArticleCureus2023
Effects of the Use of N95 Masks on the Vital Signs of Healthy Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study.
Article in Cureus, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of different personal protective equipment on the cardiovascular system in a 6-minute walk test.Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil) · 2026Article
- Risks and benefits of face masks in children.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsThe N95 filtering facepiece respirator (FR) is the most commonly recommended respiratory protection used in healthcare settings. However, concerns have been raised about its use because it can increase respiratory resistance and dead space. The primary objective of this study was to determine the effect of wearing N95 masks on the vital signs, i.e., oxygen saturation, pulse rate, and respiratory rate, of the participant health workers. Our secondary objective was to assess the subjective feeling of discomfort when wearing N95 masks.
methodsThe study participants were healthy healthcare workers taking care of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-infected pediatric cases who did at least six hours of continuous shift duty in the pediatric COVID-19 ward at a tertiary care hospital in the eastern part of India. They were evaluated for vital signs at various time intervals while wearing N95 masks. Subjective discomfort at any point in time was also noted.
resultsWe found a significant variation in the mean oxygen saturation (SpO
conclusionThe continuous use of an N95 mask leads to a mild increase in respiratory rate. However, heart rate and oxygen saturation vary significantly at different points in time after N95 mask use.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.