October 30, 2020

Peripheral Oxygen Saturation in Older Persons Wearing Nonmedical Face Masks in Community Settings

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions

Keywords (Tags): masks, non-pharm interventions

• Wearing a 3-layer non-medical face mask was not associated with a decline in oxygen saturation among adults over 65 in a small (n=25) crossover study. Study participants were provided with a mask and pulse oximeter and were instructed to measure their peripheral oxygen saturation (Spo₂) three times, twenty minutes apart for one hour before, one hour while, and one hour after wearing the mask. The pooled mean Spo₂measurements were 96.1% before, 96.5% while, and 96.3% after wearing the mask. The paired mean differences in Spo₂ for each participant while wearing the mask were minimal when compared with the value before mask wearing (0.46%) and the value after wearing the mask (0.21%), and none of the participants’ Spo₂ readings fell below 92% while wearing masks.

Chan et al. (Oct 30, 2020). Peripheral Oxygen Saturation in Older Persons Wearing Nonmedical Face Masks in Community Settings. JAMA. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.21905