Evaluation of the Effect of Nasogastric Intubation on Olfactory Function

Objective: To evaluate the olfactory functions in patients having had nasogastric intubation. 
Methods: The study included 45 adult patients who underwent general anesthesia between January 2021 and June 2021 for elective abdominal surgery requiring a nasogastric tube (NGT) insertion. Olfactory function [Brief Smell Identification Test (B-SIT)] was evaluated prior to surgery and 4 weeks post-surgery in all the patients. The demographic characteristics of the patients, duration of NGT application, and B-SIT scores before and after NGT application were recorded. 
Results: The mean NGT application time was 3.4 ± 1.5 (3-7) days. The mean preoperative and postoperative B-SIT scores of the patients were 5.20 ± 2.06 and 5.01 ± 2.02, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the mean preoperative and postoperative B-SIT scores of the whole sample (p = 0.421). The mean pre- and postoperative B-SIT scores of the patients in the control group were 5.28 ± 2.16 and 5.11 ± 2.07, respectively. No statistically significant difference was found in the mean preoperative and postoperative B-SIT scores in the control group (p = 0.370). No statistically significant difference was found in the mean preoperative and postoperative B-SIT scores between the study and control groups, respectively (p = 0.890, p = 0.654). 
Conclusion: The result of our study showed that there was no change in the olfactory function of patients after nasogastric intubation.