Evaluation of spirometric lung function among healthcare professionals working in operating theatres: A comparative cross‑sectional study.

Abstract

Background: Inhalational exposures in the operating theatre, such as waste anaesthetic gases, surgical smoke, airborne particles, microbiological contaminants and cleaning agents, may compromise lung function.

Objectives: To evaluate pulmonary function test (PFT) values of operating theatre staff who work in resource-constrained settings.

Methods: This comparative cross-sectional study included 184 participants (exposed and matched unexposed cohorts). Data were acquired via a structured questionnaire, and the standard procedure was used to calculate each participant's forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV₁), FEV₁/FVC ratio and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR). Mann-Whitney U-tests, Kruskal-Wallis tests, Spearman analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were used to investigate the statistical relationships between variables. A p-value <0.05 was considered significant.

Results: The study cohort comprised 38 surgeons, 28 anaesthetists, 14 scrub nurses and 12 assistants, with a median age of 34 years. The median age for the matched unexposed cohort was 33 years. The healthcare staff had significantly lower FEV₁ , FVC and PEFR values and FEV₁ /FVC ratios (p<0.05) than the unexposed cohort. These values decreased significantly as staff experience/exposure time increased (p=0.001). Furthermore, the scrub nurses and assistants had significantly lower PFT values than the other healthcare groups (p=0.001).

Conclusion: The study showed that PFT values were considerably lower among operating theatre healthcare staff than in a matched unexposed group, with measures decreasing as staff experience/duration of exposure rose.

Study synopsis: What the study adds. Since occupational lung disease places significant pressure on the healthcare system, this study evaluated the spirometric lung function of healthcare staff who worked in an environment without proper respiratory safeguards.Implications of the findings. The hospital environment may trigger respiratory problems, particularly for healthcare staff who work in operating theatres, restricting their economic productivity. It is therefore vital to establish, execute and maintain high-quality procedures that guarantee workplace health and safety, especially in settings with limited resources.