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Case Report | Anaesthesiology | Volume 15 Issue 7, July 2026 | Pages: 2203 - 2206 | India
Delayed Right Vocal Cord Palsy Following Normal Endotracheal Extubation: Report of a Rare Case
Abstract: Vocal cord paralysis is a rare but severe complication after tracheal intubation. Delayed VCP after GA with endotracheal intubation usually involve left vocal cord in approximately 70% of the cases. It is usually due to a recurrent laryngeal nerve neuropraxia, and the course is benign with spontaneous recovery in most patients. It may occur due to delayed nerve swelling, traction on the recurrent laryngeal nerve during thyroid surgery retraction on RLN, thymectomy, cardiac surgeries like PDA ligation, BT shunt and aortic aneurysm and dissection repair or neck surgery. Also, compression from postoperative hematoma, or inflammation from endotracheal intubation. The symptoms of the VCP include hoarseness of the voice and breathing difficulties and slow silent aspiration, and pneumonia. we present a case of delayed right vocal cord palsy (VCP), 48 hrs after GA with tracheal intubation in a patient who has undergone exploratory laparotomy for intestinal obstruction. After ruling out the presence of a tumour or compressive infectious complications, direct injury during cardiac and thoracic surgery and cervical spine decompression surgery, and using the exclusion criteria, the most likely mechanism was direct vocal cord compression or trauma by the endotracheal tube as intubation was performed by the anaesthesia trainee resident, or RLN compression by the overinflated tube cuff as cuff pressure was not monitored.
Keywords: Vocal cords paralysis, Intubation intratracheal, hoarseness of voice, Respiratory distress, general anaesthesia, Case presentation
How to Cite?: Dr. Vishnu Datt, Dr. Namita Pahuja, Dr. Priyanka Kaushik, Dr. Sakshi Dhingra, Dr. Bhavini Chawla, Dr. Khushi, Dr. Nidhi, Dr. Priyanka Dahiya, Dr. Minakshi, Dr. Bharti Yadav, "Delayed Right Vocal Cord Palsy Following Normal Endotracheal Extubation: Report of a Rare Case", Volume 15 Issue 7, July 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 2203-2206, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR26725211417, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR26725211417