Comparison of Ketamine gargle and KY Jelly for prophylaxis of post-operative sore throat in general anaesthesia in tertiary care in hospital in Central India

Post-operative sore throat (POST) is a common complication following general anaesthesia with endotracheal intubation. Various prophylactic interventions have been explored to minimise its incidence and severity. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of ketamine gargle versus KY Jelly in reducing the incidence and severity of POST in patients undergoing elective surgeries under general anaesthesia. This prospective, randomised, controlled trial was conducted in the Department of Anaesthesiology at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College & Acharya Vinoba Bhave Rural Hospital (AVBRH), Wardha, India. A total of 60 patients, classified as ASA I or II and aged between 18 and 65 years, were enrolled and randomly assigned to one of two groups: Group KG (n=30), who received a ketamine gargle (50 mg ketamine in 29 ml normal saline) 5 minutes before intubation, and Group KY (n=30), who were intubated with an endotracheal tube coated with 1 ml KY Jelly. The primary outcome was the incidence of POST at 1, 6, and 24 hours post-extubation. Secondary outcomes included the severity of POST, the correlation between intubation duration and POST severity, and the incidence of side effects such as hoarseness of voice and cough.The incidence of POST was significantly lower in Group KG compared to Group KY at all time points (p < 0.05). At 1-hour post-extubation, 10% of patients in Group KG reported POST compared to 40% in Group KY (p=0.005). This trend persisted at 6 hours (17% vs. 50%, p=0.002) and 24 hours (20% vs. 60%, p<0.001). The severity of POST was also significantly lower in Group KG across different intubation durations (p < 0.05). Additionally, Group KG experienced fewer side effects, with lower incidences of hoarseness of voice and cough (p < 0.05). Ketamine gargle is more effective than KY Jelly in reducing the incidence and severity of postoperative sore throat in patients undergoing elective surgeries under general anaesthesia. It is also associated with fewer side effects, making it a preferable option for POST prophylaxis in this setting.