RESUMEN
Endotracheal intubation is the prominent cause of airway mucosal injury which results in postoperative sore throat (POST). This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of nebulized ketamine in decreasing POST. 96 patients of the ASA grade1–2 , age 18 - 60 years, of either sex undergoing general anesthesia (GA) with tracheal intubation were randomized into two groups; Group 1 received ketamine 50 mg (1.0 ml) with 4.0 ml of saline nebulization, while Group 2 received saline nebulization 5.0 ml for 15 min before administering GA. On reaching postanesthesia care unit, POSTmonitoring was done at 0, 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24 h after extubation and graded on a four-point scale (0–3). RESULTS: There was statistically significant reduction in severity of sore throat in ketamine group at 4 h (P = 0.030*) and 6 h (P = 0.016*) postextubation as compared to saline group. CONCLUSION: Preoperative ketamine nebulization effectively reduced the incidence and severity of POST, with no adverse effects.