To Compare the Postoperative Sore Throat and Hoarseness in Difficult-Airway Adults Undergoing General Anesthesia with or without an Intubating Laryngeal Mask Airway Left Over the Endotracheal Tube

A BSTRACT Background: Extubation in difficult airways patients may provoke cough and laryngospasm. To reduce airway irritation after intubation, Blockbuster Intubating Laryngeal Mask Airway (BBILMA) is mainly used. Materials and Methods: Patients with difficult airway were divided into two groups with 20 patients in each. BBILMA was left inside the endotracheal tube even after extubation in the LT group. Mask airway was removed once the intubation was done in the ET group. Postoperative sore throat, cough, hoarseness, leak pressure, and hemodynamics were noted up to 48 hours in both the groups. Results: Both groups showed comparable demographics and extubation characteristics. Oropharyngeal leak pressures were almost similar—30.5 ± 5.4 (LT) and 28.8 ± 7.2 (ET). Fiberoptic scores were likewise comparable at 3.2 ± 0.7 (LT) and 3.1 ± 0.8 (ET). At 48 hours, the LT group reported cough in one patient and sore throat in four, with no hoarseness; the ET group reported cough in two patients, sore throat in four, and hoarseness in one. Conclusion: BBILMA does not increase postoperative throat discomfort when left in situ after extubation. Thereby, it is safe in difficult-airway cases.