Postoperative sore throat after routine oral surgery: influence of the presence of a pharyngeal pack

A randomized clinical trial was conducted to investigate the effect of the presence of a pharyngeal pack during endotracheal anaesthesia on the incidence of postoperative sore throat. The patients were anaesthetized with fentanyl, thiopentone and atracurium. Thirty-six patients were anaesthetized without placement of pharyngeal packs while 26 patients had pharyngeal packs inserted. There were no significant differences in the incidence or severity of sore throat postoperatively in the two groups (P=0.23). These results contradict previous studies, which showed an increase in the incidence of postoperative sore throat after the use of pharyngeal packs.