The Effect of Sucking Eucalyptus Lozenges on the Severity of Postoperative Coughing and Hoarseness Following Endotracheal Intubation under General Anesthesia in Orthopedic Surgeries

Background: Postoperative coughing and hoarseness are two of the most common complications occur following endotracheal intubation and pharyngitis, laryngitis, and tracheitis. Eucalyptus lozenges are used in the treatment of many sign of common colds, such as cough, sore throat, etc. Therefore, the aim of this research was to study the effect of sucking Eucalyptus lozenges on coughing and hoarseness following endotracheal intubation in patients undergoing orthopedic surgery under general anesthesia. Methods: In this clinical trial study, 134 patients undergoing orthopedic surgery under general anesthesia were selected using convenience sampling method, and were allocated into two equal groups of control and intervention via random assignment method. Following obtaining informed consent, half an hour before surgery and in intervals of six hours after the surgery, eucalyptus lozenges were administered to intervention group. Postoperative coughing and hoarseness were measured 2, 6, 12, and 24 hours following endotracheal intubation using coughing and hoarseness checklists. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Fisher's exact, chi-square, and t test, and generalized estimating equation (GEE) measures in SPSS software. P values of less than 0.05 were considered significant. Findings: The severity of coughing (P = 0.004) and hoarseness (P < 0.001) during the time were significantly less in the intervention group compared to the control group. Conclusion: Eucalyptus lozenges are effective in reducing coughing and hoarseness caused by endotracheal intubation in patients undergoing orthopedic surgery under general anesthesia.