Comparison of the Effect of Lidocaine and Ketamine Gargle and a Single Dose of Altadine Tablets on Sore Throat in Patients Under General Anesthesia After Endotracheal Intubation

Abstract

Background: One of the most important complications of general anesthesia and intubation is sore throat. This study aimed to compare the effect of gargling with ketamine and lidocaine to that of a single dose of Altadine tablets on sore throat after endotracheal intubation in patients under general anesthesia. Methods: The present study is a single-blind randomized clinical trial that was performed on 299 patients undergoing general anesthesia by endotracheal intubation in 2021-2022. Patients were randomly divided into 4 groups receiving gargles of lidocaine, gargles of ketamine, sucking an altadine lozenge and a distilled water gargle. The patient's sore throat was measured in recovery ward and at 2, 6 and 24 hours after extubation by 11 ‐ point numeric rating scale (11 ‐ point NRS) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Complications such as frequency of cough, time to starting the first feed, the timing and amount of analgesic consumption, the duration of sore throat and patient satisfaction were also recorded in the questionnaire. Findings: Both NRS and VAS scores were significantly reduced in all groups during the study. Also, the NRS score was significantly lower in the lidocaine and ketamine groups than in the other groups at 2 and 6 hours after surgery (P < 0.001). The prevalence of cough (P = 0.01), time to starting the first feed (P = 0.03), amount of analgesic consumed and duration of sore throat (P = 0.01) were lower in the lidocaine and ketamine groups than in the other groups. Conclusion: The use of lidocaine and ketamine was associated with a reduction in sore throat and duration of sore throat in patients. The prevalence of other complications such as cough was also lower in these patients. © 2025, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(IUMS). All rights reserved.