KUMJ | VOL. 24 | NO. 1 | ISSUE 94 | JANUARY - MARCH, 2026

Effects of Application of 2% Lignocaine Jelly and Thermal Softening of Oral Endotracheal Tubes on Post-operative Sore Throat and Hoarseness
Shakya S, Shrestha B, Chikanbanjar S, Acharya N, Singh J

Abstract:
Background Sore throat and hoarseness are common after general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation. Although most of them are mild in severity, they still cause major patient dissatisfaction. There are many pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods to reduce it, but only a few have promising results and minimal side effects. Objective To compare the incidence of sore throat and hoarseness in the post-anesthesia care unit and 24 hours after general anesthesia between these groups. Method We enrolled 162 patients scheduled for elective abdominal surgery under general anesthesia. This study compared the two routine techniques used at our institute to reduce postoperative sore throat and hoarseness. Patients intubated with lubricated tubes soaked in room temperature saline were assigned to the Normal Tube (NT) group, while those intubated with tubes soaked in saline warmed to 40°C were assigned to the Thermal Tube (TT) group. Numerical data were analyzed using Student’s t-test and ANOVA test, whereas categorical variables were analyzed using Pearson’s Chi-square test. Result At Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU), sore throat occurred in 24.69% (17.29% Normal Tube (NT) group vs 7.40% Thermal Tube (TT) group) and hoarseness in 9.87% (7.40% Normal Tube (NT) group vs 2.47% Thermal Tube (TT) group). At 24 hours, sore throat was 20.37% (16.04% Normal Tube (NT) group vs 4.32% Thermal Tube (TT) group), and hoarseness 9.25% (7.40% Normal Tube (NT) group vs 1.85% Thermal Tube (TT) group). Conclusion Based on our findings, we recommend routinely using thermally softened endotracheal tubes lubricated with 2% lignocaine jelly for all intubations under general anesthesia, as this significantly reduces postoperative sore throat and hoarseness in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit and at 24 hours.
Keyword : Endotracheal tube, General anesthesia, Hoarseness, Intubation, Sore throat, Thermal softening