Effect of Esketamine Gargle on Postoperative Sore Throat in Patients Undergoing Double-Lumen Endobronchial Intubation: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Drug Des Devel Ther. 2023 Oct 19:17:3139-3149. doi: 10.2147/DDDT.S430077. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

Background: Postoperative sore throat is a frequent adverse event after double-lumen endobronchial tube (DLT) intubation. The aim of this study was to investigate whether esketamine gargle has a preventive effect on the incidence of postoperative sore throat in patients undergoing DLT intubation.

Methods: This trial included 140 patients undergoing elective thoracic surgery at the third affiliated hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University. Patients were randomly allocated into the following two groups of 70 patients each: the control group, gargling with saline of 30 mL, and the esketamine group, gargling with an esketamine solution of 30 mL (2 mL/50 mg esketamine in 28 mL saline), 5 min prior to anaesthesia induction. The primary outcome was the incidence of sore throat 24 h after surgery. The main secondary outcomes included the incidence of sore throat and hoarseness at 1 h and 48 h after surgery, as well as the intraoperative haemodynamic responses.

Results: The incidence of sore throat was significantly higher in the control group (47.1%, 33/70 patients) compared with the esketamine group (12.9%, 9/70 patients) at 24 h after surgery (RD, 0.41; 95% confidence interval, 0.26-0.57; p < 0.001). Furthermore, the incidence of sore throat at 1 h (p = 0.027), 24 h (p = 0.019), and seventh day (p = 0.031) as well as hoarseness at 1 h (p = 0.027), 24 h (p = 0.019), and 48 h (p = 0.031) after surgery were reduced in the esketamine group. Significant differences were seen in the peak levels of systolic blood pressure, mean arterial blood pressure, and heart rate between the groups during the intubation (p < 0.05). Besides, no patient developed an adverse reaction to esketamine.

Conclusion: Preoperative gargling of esketamine can provide an effect against sore throat after DLT intubation without adverse side effects and effectively inhibit sharp elevations in heart rate and blood pressure during double-lumen intubation procedures.

Keywords: double-lumen endobronchial tubes; esketamine; intubation; postoperative sore throat; topical application.

Publication types

  • Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

  • Hoarseness* / epidemiology
  • Hoarseness* / etiology
  • Hoarseness* / prevention & control
  • Humans
  • Intubation, Intratracheal / adverse effects
  • Intubation, Intratracheal / methods
  • Pain / etiology
  • Pharyngitis* / etiology
  • Pharyngitis* / prevention & control
  • Postoperative Complications / drug therapy
  • Postoperative Complications / epidemiology

Substances

  • Esketamine

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province (2021A1515220081), the Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou (202201020446) and the Precision Medicine Foundation of Guangdong Province Hospital Association (2020-10).