Comparison of Postoperative Sore Throat and Hoarseness Between Two Types of Double-Lumen Endobronchial Tubes: A Randomized Controlled Trial

ObjectiveTwo types of material are used to manufacture double-lumen endobronchial tubes (DLTs): Polyvinylchloride (PVC) and silicon. PVC DLTs (Broncho-Cath) and silicon DLTs (Silbroncho) not only differ in material, but also subtly differ in structure. The goal of this study was to determine whether the incidences of postoperative sore throat and hoarseness differed between PVC DLTs and silicon DLTs.DesignProspective, single-blind, balanced (1:1), randomized, controlled trial.SettingSingle university hospital.ParticipantsSixty ASA I-II patients, aged 20 to 65 years, scheduled for thoracoscopic pulmonary lobectomy.InterventionsPatients were randomized into the Broncho-cath group (group B, n = 30) and the Silbroncho group (group S, n = 30). Intubation was performed with DLT according to the allocated group by an anesthesiologist.Measurements and Main ResultsThe incidence of sore throat and hoarseness was evaluated at 1 hour and 24 hours after DLT extubation. The intensity of sore throat was assessed by visual analog scale (VAS<0-10) at 1, 2, 4, 12, and 24 hours after DLT extubation. The incidence of sore throat was significantly lower in group S compared with that in group B at 1 h (30% v 66.7%, p = 0.018) and 24 hours (10% v 43.3%, p = 0.014). No significant difference was observed in the incidence of hoarseness between the 2 groups. The VAS scores for sore throat in group B were significantly higher than those in group S throughout the study (p< 0.05).ConclusionsThe use of silicon DLTs resulted in a lower incidence of postoperative sore throat than did the use of PVC DLTs.