Effectiveness of Lignocaine Spray At Laryngeal Inlet Versus Intravenous Lignocaine in Reducing Cough At Extubation

Objective: To ascertain effectiveness of topical lignocaine when compared with IV lignocaine during extubation in terms of reduction in cough. Study Design: Quasi Experimental Study. Duration and Place of Study: Anesthesiology department, Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from Jul 2021 to Dec 2021. Methodology: A total of 160 patients were separated into two Groups of similar size. During the introduction of the laryngoscope in Group A, 2 puffs of 10% lignocaine were sprayed on vocal cords prior to insertion of the Endo Tracheal Tube. Approximately 10 mg of lignocaine was present in each puff. During induction, patients in Group B did not receive any lignocaine, but during extubation, 1.5-2 mg/kg IV lignocaine was administered. Results: Mean age of all patients was 37.25±13.44 years whereas mean BMI was 28.80±3.86. Gender distribution showed that 116 (72.5%) were males while 44 (27.5%) were females. There were a total of 51(31.9%) patients who developed cough while being extubated out of which 29 (26.3%) patients belonged to topical lignocaine Group and 22(27.5%) patients in IV lignocaine Group (p-value=0.309). Post-operative sore throat (p-value=0.746), dysphagia (p-value=0.990) and dysphonia (p-value=0.620) were also insignificant in two Groups. Conclusion: When compared to a global intravenous injection of 2% lignocaine, a combination of 10% lignocaine spray on the laryngeal inlet demonstrates equivalent effectiveness in minimising coughing during extubation. In two Groups, the side effects were likewise comparable.