Throat packs for surgery

Abstract

General anaesthesia is frequently used for minor oral surgery. Inhalational techniques are most commonly employed and the agents are usually delivered by the nasal route. In these patients the use of a throat pack is considered advisable, but a pack is frequently a matter of compromise. It should prevent fluids and solids from entering the lungs, yet it must neither interfere with the maintenance of a good nasal airway nor obstruct the surgery. For major oral surgery and certain other procedures, it is customary to use a tracheal tube; the pharynx may then be packed without affecting the airway.