The incidence and severity of postoperative sore throat was evaluated in six groups of 20 patients each after elective orthopedic surgery. Groups I to V had tracheal intubalion with Portex disposable polyvinylchloride tracheal tubes and group VI had mask anaesthesia. All groups were exposed to heated humidified gases. Tracheal tubes in groups l-Ill were uncuffed and lubricated with four per cent lidocaine jelly (group I), four per cent lidocaine hydrochloride anaesthetic solution(group I1)or normal saline (group Ill). Patients in group IV had unlubricated tubes with large residual volume cuffs, patients in group V unlubricated tubes with small residual volume cuffs and patients in group VI (mask anaesthesia) had the lowest incidence and severity of postoperative sore throat while those in group I had the highest incidence and most severe postoperative sore throats. Patients in group V had a lower incidence and severity of postoperative sore throat than patients in all other groups, except group VI. Postoperative sore throat was equally common and severe in patients in groups II. III, and IV. The data indicate that, with the use of heated humidified gases, tracheal intubation with either cuffed or uncuffed tubes produces a greater incidence and severity of postoperative sore throat than mask anaesthesia. In addition, our findings suggest that lubrication of tracheal tubes provides no advantage in terms of reducing postoperative sore throat and, depending on the lubricant, can increase the incidence and severity, Finally, our results demonstrate that the tracheal tube causing the least incidence and severity of postoperative sore throat is one with an unlubricated low residual volume cuff.

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PROCHLORPERAZINE (Compazine) has been used for many years as a post-operative anti-emetic. Recent reports have shown that the butyrophenones, droperidol and haloperidol, also have anti-emetic properties.t-5 This study was undertaken to compare the effectiveness of droperidol, haloperidol and prochlorperazine with a placebo, normal saline, as post-operative anti-emetics in patients who began to vomit in the recove,'y room early after operation. METHODS This investigation was approved by the University of Utah Hospital Human Experimentation Committee. Sixty-five post-operative patients, who had previously given informed written consent for inclusion in the study and who had one or more episodes of vomiting in the recovery room, were the experimental subjects. All patients received pentobarbitone (50-100rag) or diazepam (5-10rag), atropine (0.2-0.5 rag) and meperid ine (50-100 rag) or morphine (5-10 rag), intramuscularly for premedication 90 minutes before arrival in the operating room. Anaesthesia was induced with sodium thiopentone 4 mg. kg-t intravenously and the trachea was intubated after paralysis with intravenous succinylcholine 1.5 rag-kg-I. Anaesthesia was maintained with halothane (0.5-2.0 per cent) or enflurane (1-3 per cent) and nitrous oxide (60 per cent) in oxygen. Paralysis was maintained with increments of pancuronium 1-3 mg intravenously for general surgical, gynaecological, or orthopedic operations. Patients included in the study were those who vomited one or more times in the recovery room, Immediately after the vomiting episode, the experimental subjects were given a two milliliter intramuscular injection of the contents of an unlabeled, numbered vial. The

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