Effects of topical lidocaine on successful extubation time among patients undergoing elective carotid endarterectomies.

Little research has been done on the effects that topical intratracheal anesthesia have on the length of time required to successfully extubate patients after surgical interventions. This retrospective case-control study, using a convenience sample (n = 100 patients), explored the effects of using topical lidocaine laryngotracheal anesthesia injected into the adult trachea before insertion of the endotracheal tube on patients undergoing surgical treatment for blockage of the carotid artery. Both descriptive and inferential analyses were performed to evaluate differences among all variables. Multiple linear regression was also performed while adjusting for the confounding factors (age, gender, and smoking status). Results revealed that the use of lidocaine laryngotracheal anesthesia during induction of anesthesia prolonged the mean times for postoperative removal of the endotracheal tube by nearly 2 minutes. Extended time for removal of endotracheal tubes may lead to increased costs to the healthcare institution and to the patient, which in turn may lead to dissatisfaction within healthcare teams and possibly to patient discontent with care provided.