Background: Pharyngolaryngeal symptoms are a main concern after neck surgery. The Protector™ LMA is a new supraglottic airway device. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate whether application of the LMA Protector™ causes fewer pharyngolaryngeal symptoms than application of the endotracheal tube after minimally invasive total thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy.
Methods: This prospective, randomized controlled trial involved one university and one private practice clinic, during the period from January 2017 until November 2017. The patients were randomly allocated to two groups: ETT and LMA. Main outcomes were Numerical Rating Scale scores of postoperative dysphagia, pharyngodynia, and incisional pain. Secondary outcomes were the frequency of rescue analgesia (paracetamol) consumption and emergence cough. Data were recorded in the post-anesthesia care unit and at 1, 6, 12, and 24 h after surgery.
Results: Data from 78 patients were included in the final analysis. Pharyngodynia scores were significantly lower in the LMA group, compared with the ETT group, at 1 h, 6 h and 12 h after surgery. Dysphagia and surgical incision pain scores were also significantly lower in the LMA group, compared with the ETT group, at 6 h and 12 h after surgery. The frequency of postoperative paracetamol consumption was significantly increased in the ETT group, compared with the LMA group. Finally, the LMA group had fewer episodes of emergence cough, compared with the ETT group.
Conclusion: The LMA Protector™ causes fewer pharyngolaryngeal symptoms than the ETT within 6 and 12 h after minimally invasive total thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy.
Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT03098667.