Cough reflex in response to extubation of the endotracheal tube is common; however, the effect of remifentanil on cough reflex is uncertain. Therefore, we evaluated the effect of lidocaine and remifentanil on cough reflex following extubation.

Forty adult patients scheduled to undergo elective surgery in two hours were enrolled in this study. All patients received a standard anesthetic protocol. Following surgery, the patients were randomly divided into two groups, Group L (n = 20), which received 1.5 mg/kg of 2% lidocaine intravenously, and Group R (n = 20), which received 0.5 µg/kg remifentanil intravenously. Treatment was administered immediately after the patients opened their eyes, after which extubation was performed. We then evaluated breath holding and recorded the number of coughs at 5 minutes, 15 minutes and 30 minutes after extubation. In addition, we checked for sore throat 30 minutes after extubation.

The number of coughs was significantly lower in Group R than in Group L at 5 minutes after extubation. However, there was no significant difference in the number of coughs in Group R and Group L at any other times evaluated.

There are no significant differences in suppression of the cough reflex in response to treatment with lidocaine and remifentanil.