Zinc Lozenges and Their Effect on Postoperative Sore Throat Syndrome
Public ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT02405832. Field values are reproduced from the official study page; the official ClinicalTrials.gov record remains the source of truth for eligibility, enrollment, and contact information.
Data is sourced from official ClinicalTrials.gov public API records. Always review the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for the latest information.
Official title
Zinc Lozenges and Their Effect on Postoperative Sore Throat Syndrome: A Randomized, Double-blinded, Placebo-controlled Prospective Study
Brief summary
Reproduced verbatim from the official ClinicalTrials.gov record. Not medical advice.
The objective of this study is to assess the effect of preoperative administration of oral zinc lozenges on the incidence of postoperative sore throat syndrome. When patients undergo surgery with general anesthesia, they require ventilation of their lungs with the help of a flexible tube (called an endotracheal tube) that is placed through the mouth, passing the vocal cords, and into the windpipe (trachea). This tube helps oxygenate the patient, delivers anesthetic gas to the lungs, and keeps the airways open to prevent asphyxiation. The procedure is invasive and uncomfortable, and one of the most common consequences is a sore and inflamed throat after the tube is taken out. This is termed postoperative sore throat (POST). Though the intensity and severity of sore throat varies from person to person, the reported incidence is as high as 90% of patients undergoing general anesthesia. Zinc therapy has been shown in multiple studies to reduce the severity and duration of cold symptoms, and also to up-regulate the immune system. Recent studies have shown that zinc can act as an anti-inflammatory agent and can maintain the integrity of skin and mucosal membranes (which cover the inside of the mouth and throat). The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of giving zinc lozenges before tube placement on postoperative sore throat. After written informed consent is received in pre-op, a sealed and coded envelope with either the zinc lozenge or the placebo lozenge will be given to the patient to be administered orally, with the instruction to dissolve the lozenge by sucking on it 30 minutes prior to surgery. Upon completion of surgery and emergence from general anesthesia, the patient will be extubated and transferred to the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). Once in the PACU, the patient will be assessed regarding the incidence and severity of POST by the study investigator using a standardized scale. The severity of POST will be graded on a 4-point scale ranging from 0 to 3; 0 being no sore throat, 1 being mild discomfort (complains only upon questioning), 2 being moderate sore throat (complains on his/her own), and 3 being severe sore throat (change in voice, hoarseness, and throat pain). This evaluation will be performed at 30 minutes, 2 hours, 4 hours, and 24 hours post-surgery, with the assessment at 4 hours being the primary outcome of the study.
Study identification
- NCT ID
- NCT02405832
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Not applicable
- Enrollment
- 87 participants
Conditions and interventions
Conditions
Eligibility (public fields only)
- Age range
- 18 Years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Healthy volunteers not accepted
This page does not interpret eligibility. Detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria are on the official ClinicalTrials.gov record.
Study timeline
- Start date
- Mar 9, 2015
- Primary completion
- Apr 3, 2015
- Completion
- Apr 3, 2015
- Last update posted
- Aug 9, 2018
2015
United States locations
- U.S. sites
- 1
- U.S. states
- 1
- U.S. cities
- 1
| Facility | City | State | ZIP | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Vermont Medical Center | Burlington | Vermont | 05401 | — |
Site contact phone numbers, emails, and investigator names are intentionally not displayed here. Open the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for site contact information.
About this trial record page
- What this page shows
- Public field values for ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT02405832, including study identification, conditions, interventions, eligibility (age, sex, healthy volunteer), timeline, and U.S. site list.
- What this page does not do
- No medical advice, eligibility judgments, treatment recommendations, study quality scoring, or AI-generated medical summaries. No site contact phone numbers, emails, or investigator names.
- Where the data comes from
- Sourced from the official ClinicalTrials.gov public API. The official record is the source of truth.
- Last refresh
- Last update posted Aug 9, 2018 · Synced Sep 6, 2026
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Open the official record
The complete protocol, eligibility criteria, and contact information for NCT02405832 live on ClinicalTrials.gov.