Intravenous LIGNOcaine for the POstoperative Sore Throat (LIGNO-POST)

November 9, 2026 updated by: Ka Ting Ng, University of Malaya

Intravenous LIGNOcaine for the POstoperative Sore Throat: A Double-blinded Randomised Placebo-controlled Trial (LIGNO-POST Trial)

Patients often encounter unpleasant sore throat after surgery when wake up from general anaesthesia and pulling off breathing tube. Lignocaine is a medication used in anaesthesia for the properties of analgesia and anti-inflammation. Other studies suggested that lignocaine spray/ gel can reduce the postoperative sore throat after extubation in patients undergoing surgery. However, it can reduce the gag reflex, resulting in higher risk of aspiration after surgery. Therefore, this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial is designed to determine whether giving intravenous lignocaine toward the end of the surgery before extubation can reduce postoperative sore throat and discomfort after surgery. It is hypothesized that intravenous lignocaine can reduce postoperative sore throat in patients undergoing general anaesthesia.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Postoperative sore throat (POST) is a common and discomfort adverse event following general anaesthesia with orotracheal intubation, with reported incidences ranging from 30% to 70%. It is characterized by pain or discomfort at the larynx or pharynx during postoperative period in the recovery area, which can affect the overall perioperative experience and patient satisfaction. The pathophysiology of POST is believed due to mechanical trauma to the pharyngeal and laryngeal mucosa during intubation, cuff-related pressure injury, and airway inflammation that cause postoperative throat symptoms. Several non-pharmacological and pharmacological measures such as lozenges, gargles, lignocaine spray and steroid injection have been experimented with mixed findings.

Lignocaine is a local anaesthetic agent, which has the properties of analgesia and anti-inflammatory effect via the blockade of sodium channel receptor. Lignocaine spray at the throat is believed to reduce the severity of POST at various concentration (2%, 5% and 10%). However, studies reported that some of the additives agents (methanol, ethanol) in the lignocaine spray have irritating side effects to damage tracheal mucosa, negating the effect of topical lignocaine on the incidence of POST. In addition, topicalized lignocaine reduces the gag reflex if given too late before extubation, resulting in higher risk of aspiration in the recovery area.

In a routine general anaesthesia, intravenous dexamethasone is administered as an analgesic adjunct and anti-inflammatory to minimize airway edema. Administering intravenous lignocaine prior to extubation is believed to provide analgesic effect to reduce incidence of POST and postoperative cough after general anaesthesia. However, the evidence regarding its effect on POST remains limited and inconsistent, particularly when administered near the time of emergence from general anaesthesia.

Therefore, this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial is aimed to examine the use of intravenous lignocaine prior to extubation in the reduction of POST in surgical patients undergoing oral intubation during general anaesthesia in University Malaya Medical Centre.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
398

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Malaysia
    • Kuala Lumpur
      • Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 59100
        • Universiti Malaya Medical Centre

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults aged 18-65 years.
  • American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA 1-2).
  • Scheduled for elective non-airway surgery requiring general anaesthesia with orotracheal intubation of anticipated duration ≥ 90 minutes.
  • Able to understand the patient information sheet (in English or Bahasa Malaysia) and provide written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • ASA physical status III-V.
  • Body mass index < 18 or > 40 kg/m².
  • Known hypersensitivity to amide local anaesthetics, including lignocaine.
  • Anticipated difficult airway (Mallampati III-IV, mouth opening < 3 cm, restricted neck extension, thyromental distance < 6 cm).
  • Upper respiratory tract infection within the preceding 2 weeks; chronic cough; pre-existing sore throat or hoarseness.
  • Airway, head-and-neck, dental, or thoracic surgery; surgery requiring transoesophageal echocardiography.
  • History of significant cardiac arrhythmia, second- or third-degree heart block, or hepatic impairment (Child-Pugh B or C).
  • Pregnancy or lactation.
  • Inability to perform self-report outcome assessment owing to cognitive impairment or language barrier.
  • Concurrent systemic lignocaine or anti-arrhythmic class I therapy.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: Group L (lignocaine)
Drug: Intravenous lignocaine

IV lignocaine 1.5 mg/kg, calculated on lean body weight (LBW).
Placebo Comparator: Group P (placebo)
Drug: Normal Saline (0.9% NaCl)

0.9% normal saline

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Incidence of postoperative sore throat (POST)
Time Frame: 1-hour, 6-hour, 24-hour after surgery

Patient-reported pain/discomfort in throat (yes/no) on standardised question.
1-hour, 6-hour, 24-hour after surgery

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Severity of POST
Time Frame: 1-hour, 6-hour, 24-hour after surgery

NRS 0-10 (0 = none, 10 = worst imaginable).
1-hour, 6-hour, 24-hour after surgery
Incidence and severity of postoperative cough
Time Frame: 1-hour, 6-hour, 24-hour after surgery

Observation of cough in post anaesthesia care unit (yes/no); 4-point scale: 0 none, 1 mild (single), 2 moderate (> 1 episode), 3 severe (constant).
1-hour, 6-hour, 24-hour after surgery
Incidence of post-extubation hoarseness
Time Frame: 1-hour, 6-hour, 24-hour after surgery

Stout's 4-point grading: 0 no hoarseness, 1 mild hoarseness (only noticed by patient), 2 severe hoarseness (noticed by medical personnel), 3 aphonia (total inability to speak)
1-hour, 6-hour, 24-hour after surgery
Patient satisfaction
Time Frame: 24-hour after surgery

NRS 0-10 (0 = not satisfy, 10 = very satisfy)
24-hour after surgery
Adverse events of intravenous lignocaine
Time Frame: During surgery and 1-hour after surgery in post anaesthesia care unit

haemodynamic events (HR < 50 or > 100, MAP < 65 or > 110); seizure, perioral numbness, dizziness, tinnitus.
During surgery and 1-hour after surgery in post anaesthesia care unit

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Malaya

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 1, 2027

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 31, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 4, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 9, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 13, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 9, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • V1.1

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Requests for de-identified data from qualified researchers may be considered by the principal investigator on a case-by-case basis, subject to approval by the ethics committee.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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