How long does it take your airway to heal after surgery once they take out the tube?

It is not uncommon for patients to have a mild sore throat for a day or two after surgery due to the breathing tube used during the procedure.  Some patients experience no soreness at all.  It is usually relieved with simple home remedies such as hot tea and honey or water.

Usually, the airway doesn't have to heal at all. The airway can be irritated for 1-2 days after having a breathing tube placed, but that is usually rare and not every time. Warm tea with honey, or numbing throat sprays can be used if your throat is sore after surgery.

Pain in your throat following general surgery is uncommon but when it occurs, it is usually due to endotracheal intubation, that is the breathing tube is placed past your vocal cords into your trachea. This type of discomfort generally lasts just a few hours to a couple of days. In our facility, we prefer to use an LMA tube (laryngeal mask airway) as opposed to an endotracheal tube in the majority of cases. This type of airway is placed above the trachea and avoids some of the post op issues associated with endotracheal intubation.