Anaesthetic drugs & techniques
Postoperative Hoarseness After General Anesthesia Referred for Otolaryngological Consultation: A 10-Year Retrospective Study
Authors' conclusion
The incidence of postoperative hoarseness referred for otolaryngological consultation was ~1.5/1000. Within the referral cohort, nasogastric tube placement was most strongly associated with hoarseness versus other laryngopharyngeal complaints and, together with TEE, longer surgical duration, double-lumen tube insertion, and female sex, was associated with greater vocal fold injury severity.
Study context
- Population
- Patients undergoing GA, October 2015–September 2025, referred to the Otolaryngology Department with postoperative laryngopharyngeal complaints1,185 referred
- Participants
- 676,641 patients
- Exposure
- Hoarseness vs Other laryngopharyngeal complaints
- Hoarsenessn = 958
- Outcome
- Postoperative hoarseness referred for otolaryngological consultation (incidence and associated factors)
Methodological detailssingle-centre, multivariable logistic regression, expanded-cohort sensitivity analysis
- Single-centre
- Multivariable logistic regression
- Expanded-cohort sensitivity analysis
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Incidence of referred postoperative hoarseness
- 958/676,641 (0.142%)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Secondary outcomes
Greater vocal fold injury severity
| Estimate | P value | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nasogastric tube placementOrdinal logistic regression | OR 2.11 (95% CI 1.61–2.78) | P < 0.001 | |
| TEEOrdinal logistic regression | OR 1.61 (95% CI 1.15–2.25) | P = 0.006 | |
| Longer surgical durationOrdinal logistic regression | OR 1.10 /h (95% CI 1.03–1.18) | P = 0.003 | |
| Double-lumen tubeOrdinal logistic regression | OR 1.55 (95% CI 1.04–2.31) | P = 0.033 | |
| Female sexOrdinal logistic regression | OR 1.41 (95% CI 1.11–1.80) | P = 0.005 | |
| 0.20.5125Odds ratio (log scale) |
Nasogastric tube placement and hoarseness, expanded-cohort sensitivity analysis
| OR (95% CI) | P value | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nasogastric tube placementn = 1438; 480 controls · sensitivity analysis | 4.20 (3.00–5.95) | P < 0.001 | |
| 0.20.5125Odds ratio (log scale) |
Recovery among patients with hoarseness
- Delayed first consultation (≥6 days after symptom onset) and greater vocal fold injury severity associated with slower recovery
- both P < .001
Original publication
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