• Allyson Lipp and Peggy Edwards.
• Faculty of Health, Sport and Science, Department of Care Sciences, University of South Wales, Glyn Taff Campus, Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taff, UK, CF37 1DL.
• Cochrane Db Syst Rev. 2014 Feb 17 (2): CD002929.

BackgroundSurgical face masks were originally developed to contain and filter droplets containing microorganisms expelled from the mouth and nasopharynx of healthcare workers during surgery, thereby providing protection for the patient. However, there are several ways in which surgical face masks could potentially contribute to contamination of the surgical wound, e.g. by incorrect wear or by leaking air from the side of the mask due to poor string tension.ObjectivesTo determine whether disposable surgical face masks worn by the surgical team during clean surgery prevent postoperative surgical wound infection.Search MethodsWe searched The Cochrane Wounds Group Specialised Register on 23 October 2013; The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library); Ovid MEDLINE; Ovid MEDLINE (In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations); Ovid EMBASE; and EBSCO CINAHL.Selection CriteriaRandomised controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-randomised controlled trials comparing the use of disposable surgical masks with the use of no mask.Data Collection And AnalysisTwo review authors extracted data independently.Main ResultsThree trials were included, involving a total of 2113 participants. There was no statistically significant difference in infection rates between the masked and unmasked group in any of the trials.Authors' ConclusionsFrom the limited results it is unclear whether the wearing of surgical face masks by members of the surgical team has any impact on surgical wound infection rates for patients undergoing clean surgery.

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