Examining the Effect of Humidifier Therapy on Hoarseness and Coughing Following Endotracheal Extubation in the Elderly after Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

Introduction: Hoarseness and coughing are common complications following endotracheal extubation. It has been stated that humidifier therapy has anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, the present study has been conducted in order to determine the effect of humidifier therapy on hoarseness and coughing following endotracheal extubation in the elderly undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery.Materials and Methods: In a clinical trial, ۸۰ elderly patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery were selected using convenience sampling. They were randomly divided into two control and experimental groups. The elderly patients in the experimental group were exposed to humidifier therapy after tracheal extubation. The control group received routine care. The intensity of cough and hoarseness were measured in both groups, after tracheal extubation. The severity of cough and hoarseness were recorded in both groups immediately after intervention, ۶, ۱۲, ۱۸, and ۲۴ hours after extubation. For analyzing the data, U Mann Whitney, chisquared and independent t-tests were performed using SPSS version ۲۱.Results: The effect of reducing the severity of coughing by humidifier therapy is -۰.۵۱% (P=۰.۰۰۱).Actually, humidifier therapy can reduce the probability of not coughing by ۰.۶% (P=۰.۰۰۱). Also, the effect of reducing hoarseness with humidifier therapy is -۰.۵۱%. Humidifier therapy can reduce the possibility of not hoarsening by ۰.۵%.Conclusions: The findings of the present study reveal that humidifier therapy can decrease cough and hoarseness in the elderly patients after Endotracheal Extubation

Keywords:

Endotracheal Extubation , Humidifier Therapy , Hoarseness , Cough , Elderly.