The relationship between preintubation lidocaine and postanesthesia sore throat

A sore throat is the most frequent adverse side effect of general anesthesia. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between intravenous lidocaine given during induction of general endotracheal anesthesia and postanesthesia sore throat. In addition, the study examined selected variables (bucking; gender; smoking; type of laryngoscope blade; and use of succinylcholine, condenser-humidifiers, or analgesic medication during the previous hour) in relation to the occurrence of postoperative sore throat. Variables typically associated with postoperative sore throat, including endotracheal tube lubricant, endotracheal tube cuff geometry, endotracheal tube size, local anesthetic spray to the trachea, traumatic intubation, postoperative mechanical ventilation, nasal intubation, nasogastric tubes, and nasal airways, were controlled. The researcher administered the visual analogue scale to 139 subjects at 21 to 27 hours following termination of the anesthetic in order to rate sore throat. A retrospective chart review provided data on the variables selected for study and those that were controlled. Chi-square and independent t-tests revealed that a decrease in the severity of the sore throat, as recorded on the visual analogue scale, was significantly related to use of intravenous lidocaine and condenser-humidifiers.