Safety and pulmonary function impact of surgical mask usage in stable COPD patients during the COVID-19 pandemic

There are hesitations about the use of surgical face masks, which main tools in protection from COVID-19 pandemic, one biggest disasters our age, chronic airway diseases. The purpose study was to examine how stable patients with obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) responded short-term mask terms in-mask air quality, oxygen saturation, and function. Forty-one COPD, by clinical presentation function tests (PFTs), were included a quasi-experimental study. Stable COPD patients' PFTs, pollution measures collected before after wearing masks for two hours at rest. findings simultaneous peripheral-blood-oxygen saturation also recorded. mean age participants 67.1 years 87.8% male. pre- post-mask PFTs parameters GOLD (A+B) group FEV1 (ml), (%), FVC FEV1/FVC (%) DLCO (p=0.067, p=0. 065, p=0.062, p=0.083, p=0.269, p=0.956, respectively), whereas (C+D) (p=0.340, p=0.538, p=0.728, p=0.044, p=0.105, p=0.054, respectively). In measurements, respiratory not impaired GOLD-2022 (A-B-C-D) subgroups. Oxygen carbon-monoxide concentrations exhaled decreased use. difference statistically significant, but unimportant implications. Surgical don’t appear have negative effect on COPD. This may help provide evidence-based data overcome