Preventive effect of ketamine gargling for postoperative sore throat after endotracheal intubation

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Postoperative sore throat (POST) is a relatively common complication after endotracheal intubation, and various methods has been proposed to prevent it. In the present study, we assessed the effectiveness of ketamine gargling for reducing POST. METHODS: This study was conducted in a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, and single-blinded manner. The study populations consisted of 40 patients between 20 and 60 years old who were classified as American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I-II and were scheduled for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Patients in group K received ketamine (1 ml, 50 mg) in normal saline (29 ml), and they gargled with the given solution for 30 s before induction. Patients in group C received normal saline (30 ml) and gargled it for 30 s before induction. All patients were interviewed 1, 6, and 24 h after the operation. The visual analog scale (VAS) score of POST was checked. RESULTS: The VAS scores of POST were significantly lower in group K than in group C at 1 and 6 h after the operation. However, there were no significant differences in VAS scores at 24 h after the operation. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative ketamine gargling temporarily reduced POST in patients that underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy.