Comparing hoarseness and sore throat after extubation at different endotracheal cuff pressures: A double-blinded clinical trial.

Abstract

Background: Sore throat and hoarseness are two common complications of intubation in patients with general anesthesia. This research aimed to compare the effect of different endotracheal cuff pressures on sore throat and hoarseness after general anesthesia.

Materials and methods: The present double-blinded clinical trial was conducted on 45 patients who are candidates for surgery with general anesthesia in autumn and winter 2021. The participants were divided into three groups of 15 through a permuted block randomization. The 20-24 cm H2O (level of pressure) group was labeled as A, and the 25-29 cm H2O group B and the 30-34 cm H2O group was known as group C. All the patients were operated. The endotracheal intubation was done for men with tubes #8-8.5 and for women with tubes 7-7.5. The presence and severity sore throat and the hoarseness after operation were checked by a nurse after recovery. Data were recorded in a researcher-made checklist. The data were analyzed in SPSS 19. P <0.05 was considered.

Results: The results revealed that the majority of participants suffered a slight hoarseness within the 1^st hour (73.3%), 12^th hour (91.1%), and 24^th hour (100%) after recovery. Similarly, most participants experienced a slight hoarseness in the 1^st hour (57.8%), 12^th hour (71.1%), and 24^th hour (91.1%) after recovery. Kruskal-Wallis test results showed no statistically significant correlation between hoarseness and the level of endotracheal cuff pressure in the three groups (P > .05).

Conclusion: According to the results of the present study, despite the fact that the range of 20 to 34 cm of water is a safe and risk-free range in terms of causing sore throat and hoarseness, and there was no difference between the pressures in the three groups, but at higher pressure (groups 2 and 3), the amount of sore throat and hoarseness was more and there was a statistically significant difference at different times within group. Therefore, as much as possible, the amount of pressure should be adjusted according to the need and avoid applying excess pressure.