Sore Throat Patients After Oral And Maxillofacial Surgery with and without Pharyngeal Pack

Abstract

Background: Pharyngeal packing is now widely used in head and neck surgeries after induction of anesthesia. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the effect of pharyngeal packing on the occurrence of sore throat and other associated symptoms in comparison with patients without pharyngeal pack in orthognathic surgeries. Methods: This study was a randomized clinical trial and the target population was patients undergoing maxillofacial surgery hospitalized in two centers, Shafa and Shahid Bahonar Hospitals in Kerman. Sixty patients assigned to two groups, including the group with saline-soaked pack and the group without pharyngeal pack, were evaluated for the severity of sore throat at time intervals of 2, 6, 12 and 24 hours after surgery as well as the occurrence of comorbid symptoms. Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of demographic indicators, length of surgery and length of recovery. The severity of sore throat at all-time intervals was significantly higher in the pharyngeal pack group in comparison to the control group. Other symptoms such as dysphagia, hoarseness, nausea and vomiting, laryngeal spasm and cough were not significantly different between the two groups. Conclusions: The findings of the present study showed that the use of pharyngeal was associated with an increase in the severity of sore throat but had no effect on the associated symptoms. These findings can be a guide to adopt the correct approach to the use of pharyngeal packs in patients undergoing maxillofacial surgery.