Intubaiton with electromyographic endotracheal tube increases risks of postoperative sore throat following thyroidectomy under general anesthesia: a retrospective cohort study.
10.12122/j.issn.1673-4254.2025.11.24
- Author:
Lihong CHEN
1
;
Yafen CHEN
1
;
Huilin XIE
1
;
Yancheng HUANG
1
;
Yabin HUANG
1
;
Sanqing JIN
1
Author Information
1. Department of Anesthesiology, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510655, China.
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
electromyographic endotracheal tube;
postoperative sore throat;
retrospective study;
thyroidectomy;
tracheal intubation
- MeSH:
Humans;
Retrospective Studies;
Intubation, Intratracheal/instrumentation*;
Thyroidectomy/adverse effects*;
Anesthesia, General;
Postoperative Complications/epidemiology*;
Pharyngitis/epidemiology*;
Electromyography;
Risk Factors;
Female;
Male;
Middle Aged;
Adult;
Incidence
- From:
Journal of Southern Medical University
2025;45(11):2511-2517
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVES:To investigate the effect of intubation with electromyographic (EMG) endotracheal tubes versus conventional wire-reinforced (CWR) tubes on the incidence of postoperative sore throat (POST) in patients undergoing thyroidectomy under general anesthesia and identify the risk factors for POST.
METHODS:We retrospectively collected the clinical data from a cohort of 245 patients undergoing elective thyroid surgery under general anesthesia at the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between October, 2024 and March, 2025. Patients received intubation with either EMG endotracheal tubes (n=100) or CWR tubes (n=145) during the operation, and the incidences of POST and other postoperative complications were compared between the two groups. Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to adjust for the baseline differences, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent risk factors for POST.
RESULTS:Comparisons of the baseline data revealed significant differences between the two groups (P<0.05). After PSM, 90 patients in EMG group and 75 in CWR group were included in the final analysis with matching baseline characteristics (P>0.05). Post-matching analysis showed that the EMG group had a shorter operative time (P=0.002) but a higher incidence of POST (P=0.001). Multivariate logistic regression identified the use of EMG tubes (OR=17.50, 95% CI: 2.25-136.03, P<0.01) as an independent risk factor for POST.
CONCLUSIONS:Intubation with EMG endotracheal tubes can shorten the operative time and allow recurrent laryngeal nerve monitoring during thyroidectomy under general anesthesia, but their structural design may increase the risk of POST. Clinical decisions should be made to balance nerve protection and postoperative patient comfort by selecting appropriate tube types and optimizing intubation strategies to enhance perioperative outcomes.
