Efficacy of Ketamine Soaked Pharyngeal Pack for Prevention of Sore Throat Following Oro-Nasal Surgeries in Paediatrics

Abstract

Background and Aim: Post operative sore throat has reported incidence of upto 62% following general anaesthesia. The incidence in paediatric anaesthesia is variable, and the etiology is unclear. Many methods have been used to mitigate postoperative sore throat in paeditrics. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the efficacy of Ketamine soaked pharyngeal pack in preventing post operative sore throat with probable advantage of prolonged contact with mucosa, thereby producing sustained drug release at the site of action. Methods: This is a prospective randomized control study in 70 ASA1 or ASA2 patients undergoing oro-nasal surgeries. Group K (n=35) received Ketamine soaked pharyngeal pack (1mg/Kg) and group N (n=35) received normal saline soaked pharyngeal pack intra operatively. We compared post-operative sore throat, dysphagia, observational pain scores and hemodynamic variables in both the groups Results: Post-operative sore throat, dysphagiaand observational pain score were comparatively less in group K compared to group N (p=<0.05). Hemodynamic profile were comparable in both groups with no side effects . Conclusion: Ketamine soaked pharyngeal pack at the dose of 1mg/kg, reduced the incidence of post-operative sore throat and dysphagia with minimal side-effects compared to normal saline soaked pharyngeal pack in paediatrics. It also reduced the requirement of post operative analgesia. Keywords: Ketamine; Pharyngeal pack; Postoperative sore throat; Dysphagia and Observational pain score.