• Kristoffer Holen Sælen, Synne Hatlemark, Christina Brudvik, Torbjørn Hiis Bergh, Soosaipillai V Bernardshaw, and Knut Steen.
• Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
• Scand J Prim Health Care. 2024 Jun 1; 42 (2): 287294287-294.

ObjectiveTo investigate if wearing surgical face mask by doctors and nurses during suturing of traumatic wounds has any impact on postoperative infection rate.DesignRandomized controlled study with masked or unmasked health personnel groups.SettingA Norwegian Minor Injury Department.SubjectsAdult patients with traumatic wounds sutured at the clinic between 7 October 2019 and 28 May 2020.Main Outcome MeasuresPostoperative infections of sutured wounds.ResultsOne hundred and sixty-five patients with 176 wounds were included in the study. Nine out of 88 wounds (10.2%) in the masked group and 11 out of 88 wounds in the unmasked group (12.5%) had a wound infection.ConclusionsDespite a higher percentage of postoperative infections in the unmasked than in the masked group (12.5% versus 10.2%), the difference was not statistically significant (p = .6). This might imply that the use of facemasks during suture of traumatic wounds in an outpatient setting does not significantly reduce the number of infections. However, due to the covid pandemic, the study had to be prematurely stopped before the planned number of participants had been recruited (n = 594). This increases the risk of type II error.

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