Incidence and Associated Risk Factors of Postoperative Sore Throat in Tertiary Care Hospital

Background Postoperative sore throat is a relatively minor complaint but a frequent postoperative complication of anesthesia. The incidence of postoperative sore throat varies from 0-50% in most research studies, but some report the incidence is as high as 51-100% following general anesthesia. Objective The aim of this study was to obtain the incidence and determine the associated risk factors of postoperative sore throat in tertiary care hospital. Method Three hundred and seventy six patients who underwent various surgeries under general anesthesia in Dhulikhel Hospital during a four month period were included. Using a predesigned questionnaire with follow up after 24-30 hours after extubation, data was collected. Sore throat was identified using a four point scale (0-3). Result Overall incidence of postoperative sore throat was 50.8%. Patient with airway device endotracheal tubes had the highest incidence (52.2%, 176 of 337), and patient with i-gel had a lower incidence of sore throat (33.3%, 7 of 21). Female patients reported more sore throat than male, more common with older age group and duration of anesthesia more than two hours. Increased incidence of postoperative sore throat was not associated with the type of surgery, number of intubation attempts, category of personnel performing airway managementr and use of oropharyngeal airway. Conclusion Postoperative sore throat is a common complication of airway instrumentation in general anesthesia that can lead to discomfort. The overall incidence of postoperative sore throat in this study was 50.8%. Endotracheal tube, female patients and increased duration of anesthesia were associated with increased postoperative sore throat rates.