[Intubation lesions of the oropharynx, larynx and trachea]

The authors examined and followed 104 patients who had undergone surgery under endotracheal anesthesia in order to recognize the lesions of the oropharynx and the larynx resulting from intubation and other manipulations within the oral cavity and the pharynx. Laryngoscopic examination disclosed: a hematoma of true vocal cords in 5 patients, hematoma of the aditus ad laryngem and soft palate in 1 patient, edema in 4 patients, and in 8 patients hematoma of the oropharyngeal mucosa. The patients reported the following post-extubation discomforts: sore throat, hoarseness, dysphagia, a feeling of burning, clenching or foreign body in the throat, rough throat, irritation to hacking cough, and pains in the cervical musculature. Laryngitis was singled out as a disorder found in an increased percentage in the study group, as compared to the literature data, for which an explanation is given.