Can someone point me to a study—preferably a RCT—that proves surgeons & staff wearing masks during an operation reduces the risk of patients’ post-op infections?
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Replying to @SBMPediatrics @NeuCare
Not about that specifically, although I did mention that there is no good evidence that masks decrease the incidence of surgical site infection. However, we don't wear them for that. We wear them to protect ourselves from being splashed with bodily fluids.https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/bouffant-caps-versus-skull-caps-in-the-operating-room-a-no-holds-barred-cage-match/ …
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An excellent (and highly amusing) summary of the evidence for various infection control measures can be found in this article, which discusses evidence for the use of masks, gowns, and sterile gloves in decreasing SSIs.https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/65/9/1589/3858163 …
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The above article references Cochrane meta-analyses that fail to find an effect of wearing mask on the incident of surgical site infections (SSIs). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27115326/
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But again, the reason we wear surgical masks and protective eyewear in the OR is to protect ourselves from being splashed with potentially infectious blood or bodily fluids in the face. Failure to wear a mask or protective eyewear? Hepatitis C, anyone?
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The bottom line is that the only surgical apparel for which there is very solid evidence that its use decreases the incidence of surgical site infections is sterile gloves, which have been commonly used since the 1890s.
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