The Effects of Xylocaine Spray for Pain Control Caused by Endotracheal Tube in Critical Care

Summary Background The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Xylocaine spray for the pain caused by endotracheal tube, and its impact on patients’ satisfaction of intensive care. Methods A quantitative evaluation of the effect before and after Xylocaine spray on endotracheal tube pain relief, and a qualitative interview study of the impact of this intervention on patients’ satisfaction of intensive care in a prospective, clinical investigation. Those in the medical intensive care unit being endotracheal intubated and being able to clearly communicate with the caregivers were enrolled after providing their inform consent. We prescribed Xylocaine 10% pump spray as frequently as demanded. Results Nineteen patients were eligible for this study. The numerical rating scale of the throat pain before local Xylocaine spray were 8.82 ± 0.79, 7.98 ± 0.92, 7.07 ± 0.76, 6.37 ± 0.83 and 5.47 ± 1.23, sequentially, compared with after therapy results, which were 3.84 ± 0.86, 3.57 ± 0.74, 3.06 ± 0.70, 2.61 ± 0.77 and 1.96 ± 0.88 ( p  0.01). The interval between Xylocaine demanded gradually increased with time after endotracheal tube intubation, and was also different between the daytime and the night-time on the first day of admission ( p  0.001). Most of the patients suffered from throat pain due to endotracheal intubation, and they agreed their satisfaction was affected by the factors, the level of throat pain being controlled (correlation: 0.89, p  0.01), and the caregivers’ attitude with regard to the pain control (correlation: 0.46, p  0.05). Conclusion Xylocaine spray is demanded is an effective therapy to manage the pain caused by endotracheal tube, which is also crucial to meet patient satisfaction in intensive care.