Carpal tunnel syndrome in female nurse anesthetists versus operating room nurses: Prevalence, laterality, and impact of handedness

Nurse anesthesia may be a high-risk occupation for carpal tunnel syndrome ( CTS) in the workplace. We designed a cross-sectional investigation to study the prevalence of CTS in nurse anesthetists (NAs) as compared with operati ng room nurses (ORNs). Two-hundred forty-four female operating room workers were classified by job title as NAs (n = 63) and ORNs (n = 181). The case definition of CTS was established by a history of surgical correction or a combination of four positive historical and physical findings. There were 1 0 cases of CTS in NAs and 10 cases of CTS in ORNs. The crude odds ratio (OR ) for CTS in NAs was 3.23 (95% confidence interval, 1.27-8.17, P = 0.021). The crude OR for left-hand CTS in NAs was also 3.23 and 3.58 for bilateral CTS. When adjusted for nondominant left-hand or bilateral CTS, the OR for C TS in NAs was 3.85. The Yates-corrected chi (2) for CTS in NAs was 5.346 (P = 0.021) and 5.075 (P = 0.024) for nondominant left-hand or bilateral CTS in NAs as compared with ORNs. On the basis of our data analysis, nondominan t left-hand CTS and bilateral CTS were significantly more prevalent in NAs than ORNs.