Effects of intracuff dexamethasone on post-extubation reactions.

Filed under: Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation

J Res Med Sci. 2012 Apr; 17(4): 338-43
Rafiei MR, Arianpour N, Rezvani M, Ebrahimi A

The most common complications after tracheal intubation during general anesthesia are sore throat, hoarseness, and laryngospasm which can cause severe discomfort to patients. Several methods have been suggested to prevent these complications. In this study, the effects of intracuff dexamethasone, lidocaine, and normal saline in reducing post-extubation reactions were compared.This double-blind clinical trial was performed on 180 men of ASA (American Society of Anesthesiologists) class I or II who underwent general anesthesia for elective inguinal herniation surgery in Imam Reza Hospital, Tehran, Iran during 2008-2010. Depending on the kind of drug used to fill the endotracheal tube (ETT) cuff, patients were randomly allocated into normal saline, lidocaine, and dexamethasone groups. Post-extubation reactions were then evaluated in all groups.The groups were demographically comparable. There were no significant differences between the three groups regarding post-extubation sore throat, hoarseness, or laryngospasm (p > 0.05). However, a significant difference in cough existed between the… Continue reading →