Introduction: Sore throat following endotracheal intubation is a long-standing concern for anaesthesiologists worldwide.
Objectives: To determine the occurrence of post-intubation sore throat and associated risk factors in patients undergoing surgeries under general anesthesia.
Materials and Methods: A total number of 400 patients, ASA Grade I and II, aged between 18 to 75 years of either gender posted for surgery under general anesthesia were selected. Body Mass Index and history of smoking were noted. Intubation-related factors including technique, number of attempts, size of endotracheal tube, Cormac-Lehane grade, need for external laryngeal pressure during intubation, endotracheal tube cuff pressure, duration of surgery, patient position during surgery, and coughing during emergence were observed to determine the relation of sore throat with the above factors in patients undergoing surgery.
Results: The results from this study showed that intracuff pressure at intubation (p value 0.009), extubation (p value 0.001), and cough at emergence had significant association with sore throat by multivariate analysis (p value 0.001). Number of intubation attempts, duration of surgery, body mass index of patients, and need of external laryngeal pressure during intubation had significant association with sore throat by bivariate analysis (p value \(\leq 0.05\)).
Conclusion: The discomfort in patients in the postoperative period due to sore throat occurs due to a number of factors. Endotracheal tube cuff pressure at intubation and extubation, and cough at emergence being significant among them.
