Oropharyngeal trauma during routine ear, nose and throat procedures

A prospective study of 122 adults undergoing routine ear, nose and throat (ENT) operations over a three-month period was carried out to determine the cause of oropharyngeal trauma seen in some patients. Those having tonsillar or palatal surgery were excluded from the study. Forty-five (36.9 per cent) patients complained of a mild sore throat post-operatively and six (4.9 per cent) of a severe sore throat. Five of these (4 per cent) had evidence of injury to the uvula and soft palate which delayed their discharge from hospital. No single cause of trauma was identified but possible factors included the use of laryngeal masks (two cases), throat packs (two cases) and blind suctioning with a plastic Yankauer sucker (one case). There is a relatively high risk of oropharyngeal trauma during routine otolaryngological procedures and we recommend that care should be taken to prevent this common cause of significant post-operative morbidity.