Anest. intenziv. Med. 2010;21(4):172-178

Postoperative sore throatAnaesthesiology - Original Paper

Dostálová Kateřina^1,*, Doubravská Lenka¹, Fritscherová Šárka¹, Pospíšilová Dagmar², Zapletalová Jana³, Adamus Milan¹

¹ Klinika anesteziologie a resuscitace FN a LF UP v Olomouci

² Otolaryngologická klinika FN a LF UP v Olomouci

³ Ústav lékařské biofyziky, LF UP Olomouc

Objective:
To assess the incidence and risk factors for postoperative sore throat.

Design:
A prospective, observational, double-blind study.
Setting:
Departments and ICUs of Surgery, Trauma, Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, Urology and Gynaecology, University Hospital Olomouc.

Materials and methods:
The study comprised of 1,942 patients after elective surgery who were inquired about sore throat and other peri-operative complaints on the 1st postoperative day. If sore throat or hoarseness were present on the 1st postoperative day, the patients were re-examined on the 3rd postoperative day. Patients with sore throat persisting till the 3rd postoperative day were referred for an ENT examination. Patient records from the recovery room and wards as well as the anaesthetic records were used to find out about the demographic data and anaesthetic management. The data were processed using appropriate statistical tests.

Results:
A total of 16.2% of patients had postoperative sore throat on the day of surgery, occurring at various rates depending on the type of airway management during general anaesthesia. Sore throat was the most frequent after endotracheal intubation (18.3 %) and laryngeal mask insertion (12.8 %). The lowest rates of sore throat were reported after face mask ventilation (4 %). The way the tracheal tube tip was prepared prior to tracheal intubation had a prominent influence as well. Both local anaesthetic (Mesocain) jelly and water increased the incidence of sore throat two-fold as compared with K-Y jelly or no pre-treatment. Gender (p = 0.712), BMI (p = 0.982), anaesthesiologist's experience (p = 0.311), nasogastric tube insertion (p = 0.522) or smoking (p = 0.691) did not influence the incidence of sore throat.

Conclusion:
The technique of peri-operative airway management and lubricant use during general anaesthesia significantly affect the incidence of postoperative sore throat.

Keywords: postoperative complications; sore throat; face mask; intubation; laryngeal mask; lubrication

Published: August 1, 2010  Show citation