"You can leave your mask on": effects on cardiopulmonary parameters of different airway protective masks at rest and during maximal exercise

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of protective masks has been essential to reduce contagions. However, public opinion is that there is an associated subjective shortness of breath. We evaluated cardiorespiratory parameters at rest and during maximal exertion to highlight any differences with the use of protective masks. 12 healthy subjects performed three identical cardiopulmonary exercise tests, one without wearing a protective mask, one wearing a surgical mask and one with a filtering face piece particles class 2 (FFP2) mask. Dyspnoea was assessed using the Borg scale. Standard pulmonary function tests were also performed. All the subjects (40.8±12.4 years; six male) completed the protocol with no adverse events. Spirometry showed a progressive reduction of forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) from no mask to surgical to FFP2 (FEV1: 3.94±0.91 L, 3.23±0.81 L, 2.94±0.98 L; FVC: 4.70±1.21 L, 3.77±1.02 L, 3.52±1.21 L; p<0.001). Rest ventilation, O2 uptake (VO2) and CO2 production (VCO2) were progressively lower, with a reduction in respiratory rate. At peak exercise, subjects had a progressively higher Borg scale when wearing surgical and FFP2 masks. Accordingly, at peak exercise, VO2 (31.0±23.4 mL·kg–1·min–1, 27.5±6.9 mL·kg–1·min–1, 28.2±8.8 mL·kg–1...
Source: European Respiratory Journal - Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Tags: Respiratory clinical practice, Respiratory infections and tuberculosis Original Articles: Pulmonary infection Source Type: research