Evaluation of Lidocaine Efficacy on Attenuation of Sore Throat, Cough and Itching after Laryngeal Mask Airway Insertion in Elective Eye Surgery

Background and Sore throat is one of the most common complications of general anesthesia. The source of pain perhaps is from the pharyngeal, laryngeal or tracheal and maybe is the cause of unpleasantness, discomfort and a bad memory after general anesthesia. This study evaluated the effectiveness of lubricating lidocaine gel on the sore throat; cough and scratching of throat after laryngeal mask airway (LMA) insertion. Sixty patients -who scheduled for elective eye surgery- underwent general anesthesia and with the inclusive criteria and were randomly divided into two groups of intervention and control in a double-blinded study. The posterior surface of LMAs was lubricated with lidocaine gel 2% in the intervention group and non-medical lubricant gel in the control group. After induction of anesthesia that was similar in two groups, the LMA was inserted using classical method by an anesthesiologist who was unaware of the used gel, and after ensuring adequate ventilation LMAs were fixed in site. Twenty-four hours after the operation the patient's sore throat, coughing and itchy throat were checked. Results showed that the two groups had no statistically significant differences regarding age and gender (P > 0.05). Furthermore, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding the amount of blood staining on LMA cuff after removal. The severity of sore throat in 24 hours after the surgery, the incidence of cough and itchy throat were similar as well. The gel used to facilitate placement of LMA has no impact on the postoperative sore throat, cough, and blood staining on LMA, and throat itching.