Abstract

PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of cuff pressure on postoperative sore throat.
METHODS
Data were collected from January 4 through May 15, 2008. Among the 60 patients, 30 patients were randomly assigned to the control group and the rest to the experimental group. Initial cuff pressure of both groups was set at 20 cmH2O. The experimental group was maintained at 20 cmH2O throughout the anesthesia, while the control group was not regulated further. Sore throat was assessed at postoperative 1, 24 and 72 hours. Data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman's rho coefficients.
RESULTS
Cuff pressure in the control group increased from 20 to 43 cmH2O within 3 hours after induction. However, the experimental group showed that there was apparently a reduced rate of sore throat at postoperative 24 hours (p = .048), and 72 hours (p = .002) than in the control group. However, no outstanding differences between both groups at postoperative 1 hour (p = .081) were detected. The correlation between cuff pressure and sore throat was statistically significant (r(s) = .590, p < .001).
CONCLUSION
We conclude that maintaining cuff pressure at 20 cmH2O could be an effective means to reduce sore throat in surgical patients with inhalation anesthesia.

• Keywords: Endotracheal intubation; Air pressure; Sore throat; Nitrous oxide