• L Sun and R Guo.
• Department of Anesthesiology, Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Cancer Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, NO.17 Panjiayuannanli Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100021, China.
• Ir J Med Sci. 2014 Dec 1; 183 (4): 593-600.

BackgroundPostoperative sore throat (POST) is a common complication following tracheal intubation. The effectiveness of prophylactic dexamethasone on POST needs further elucidation.AimsTo evaluate the effectiveness and safety of intravenous dexamethasone for the prevention of POST in patients undergoing endotracheal intubation.MethodsStudies were identified by literature searches of PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane database. Systematic review was performed by two independent investigators.ResultsWe summarized 7 RCTs including 727 participants. Intravenous dexamethasone significantly reduced the risk of POST at 24 h [pooled risk ratio (RR) = 0.676; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.494-0.925; P = 0.014; heterogeneity test, I (2) = 45.8 %], as well as alleviating its severity [standardized mean difference (SMD) = -1.15; 95 % CI -1.86 to -0.45; P = 0.002; heterogeneity test, I (2) = 91.7 %]. Further sub-group analysis indicated a significant relationship between dexamethasone and reduced risk of POST when its dose was over 0.1 mg/kg. No severe adverse effects were reported.ConclusionsOur results suggest that intravenous dexamethasone reduces the risk and severity of POST from intubation at 24 h. The effective dosage of dexamethasone for preventing the risk of POST appeared to be over 0.1 mg/kg.

13 keywords...

hide…