Comparison of Two Different Sizes of Endotracheal Tracheal Tube for Postoperative Sore Throat in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Surgeries.

Objective The purpose of this study was to compare two different sizes of an endotracheal tube (ETT), with inner diameters (ID) of 6.5 mm and 7.5 mm, for the frequency of postoperative sore throat in patients undergoing elective breast cancer surgery. Methodology This study was a randomized controlled trial conducted in the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Center from December 3, 2016, to February 3, 2017. This study included 110 patients, 55 from each group, who were selected from the elective surgery list fulfilling the inclusion criteria. Group A patients were intubated with 6.5-mm ID ETTs and group B patients with 7.5-mm ID ETTs. All patients were carefully extubated in the operating room when fulfilling extubation criteria. Any concerns of sore throat were recorded 24 hours postoperatively. All relevant data were recorded on a pro forma. Results In this study, the mean age was 46.6 ± 13.2 years (range: 18-65 years). The mean body mass index (BMI) was 29.50 ± 07.12 kg/m, with a minimum and maximum of 19 kg/m and 38 kg/m, respectively. The mean four-point scale was 2.98 ± 1.3, with a minimum and maximum of 1.0 and 4.0, respectively. Of the 110 patients, 47 patients reported a sore throat at 24 hours after surgery, whereas 63 patients did not report a sore throat. In this study, 14 patients in group A were diagnosed with a postoperative sore throat, whereas 33 patients in group B were diagnosed with a sore throat at 24 hours. A chi-square test was significant, and a poststratification chi-square test was applied to compare sore throat at 24 hours postoperative between the groups with respect to age and BMI. Conclusions ETT sizes produced a significant difference in the frequency of postoperative sore throat in patients undergoing breast surgery. Physicians should consider this impact on clinical practice to optimize patient outcomes. Additional studies with a larger sample size are warranted to further explore this impact.