Impact of Anesthesia Monitoring Alarm Sound Level on the Cognitive Load of a Surgical Trainee Using a Simulator

Launched by INSTITUT DE CANCÉROLOGIE DE LORRAINE · Jul 21, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This study is looking at how the volume of anesthesia monitoring alarms in operating rooms affects the mental effort of surgical trainees during simulated surgeries. These alarms are important for patient safety but can sometimes be too loud, which might distract surgeons and make it harder for them to focus. The researchers want to find out if lowering the alarm volume to an optimal level can help reduce this mental strain without making the alarms less effective in keeping patients safe.

The study is open to surgical residents or experienced surgeons who have normal hearing and can perform surgical stitches. Participants will be randomly assigned to work with either a quieter, optimized alarm or a louder standard alarm while performing simulated surgical tasks. The researchers will measure how much mental effort the participants use by looking at things like heart rate and pupil size, as well as asking them about their experience using simple questionnaires. This research aims to improve the working environment in operating rooms, making it easier for surgical teams to focus and learn while keeping patients safe.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Surgical residents or experienced surgeons;
• • Surgeons with normal hearing;
• • Surgeons capable of performing surgical sutures (regardless of skill level);
• • Surgeons able and willing to follow all study procedures according to the protocol;
• • Surgeons who have understood, signed, and dated the informed consent form provided on the day of enrollment.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Surgeons undergoing beta-blocker treatment;
• • Surgeons with known cardiac pathology;
• • Surgeons who do not consent to participate in the study;
• • Surgeons with known hearing problems;
• • Surgeons who fail the hearing test;
• • Surgeons who worked on-call or night shifts during the night before the evaluation day.