Lidocaine reduces endotracheal tube associated side effects when instilled over the glottis but not when used to inflate the cuff: A double blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial.

Background: Tracheal intubation results in an alteration of the laryngeal mucosa which can lead to undesirable effects at emergence from anaesthesia. Local anesthetics, when administered topically, may represent an interesting alternative to reduce these side effects.

Aim: In this trial, we aimed to evaluate the effect of lidocaine in preventing tracheal intubation related side effects at emergence from anaesthesia, when instilled onto the glottis before intubation or used to inflate the endotracheal tube cuff.