Abstract:
Background: Post-operative sore throat /POST/ is the most common undesirable anesthesia side
effect among patients who are intubated with an endotracheal tube/ETT/. The excessive inflation
of the ETT cuff, the size of the tube, trauma from intubation, aggressive oropharyngeal suctioning,
and mucosal dehydration are thought to be the cause of POST. Even though, the incidence and risk
factors for POST are indicated in many works of literature, the effect of ETT cuff pressure/ETCP/
on POST occurrence has never been studied in our country.
Objective: To assess the incidence and associated factors of POST among adult patients who have
underwent elective surgery under general anesthesia/GA/ with endotracheal intubation at Jimma
university medical center/JUMC/, Jimma, Ethiopia, from August 15 to November 30, 2022 G.C.
Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 416 patients who
underwent surgery under GA with ETT. Data were collected by using structured questionaries
which were adapted from the body of previous works of literature. Complete and coded data were
entered into Epi data version 4.6.0.6 and then exported to SPSS software version 26.0 for statistical
data analysis. Descriptive statistics were done to summarize descriptive data. Binary logistic
regression was used for the analytical study. Bivariate logistic regression was done to select
candidate variables for the multivariable logistic regression. Multivariable logistic regression was
used to identify factors independently associated with a postoperative sore throat and to control
confounders. AOR and the 95% CI interval were respectively used to measure the associations
between POST and exposure variables, and to measure their statistical significance. The 95% CI
was used to declare statistical significance in the final model.
Results: A total of 416 patients were included in this study and the incidence of POST was 54.1%.
In multivariate logistic regression being female, premedicated with opioids, blood on airway
equipment, awake extubation, ETCP above recommended range, and ETT size were significantly
associated with the development of POST.
Conclusion and recommendation: Significant incidence of POST was seen in this study.
Therefore, appropriate airway equipment selection, gentle instrumentation, and ETCP monitoring
by Manometer would help in reducing the incidence of POST
