Raghavan Suresh Babu, Peter Kadamala, Madhu Velayudhan
BACKGROUND Inflating the ETT cuff with local anaesthetic would allow diffusion locally to produce anaesthesia to the mucosa, thereby attenuating stimulation during extubation. Dexamethasone, a corticosteroid, has anti-inflammatory action along with its analgesic and antiemetic properties. The aim of the study is to compare the efficacy of lignocaine 2% alone versus lignocaine 2% with dexamethasone on post-extubation emergence. MATERIALS AND METHODS 60 patients undergoing surgery under general anaesthesia were included in the study. They were randomly included into group A- ETT cuff filled with lignocaine 2% and Group B- ETT cuff filled with lignocaine 2% with dexamethasone. All were induced and intubated with propofol, muscle relaxant and maintained with sevoflurane. Cough reflux (present or absent) assessed from when inhalational anaesthetics stopped and reversal given to 30 minutes post extubation. RESULTS Data from the study was subjected to bi-variable analysis. Cough reflex was recorded in 6 subjects in lignocaine alone group vs. 1 in lignocaine with dexamethasone group. This was the only statistically significant (p<0.05) difference between the two groups. CONCLUSION Better postop emergence (reduced incidence of cough) with endotracheal tube cuff filled with lignocaine with dexamethasone than with lignocaine alone.
