Comparison of the effects of intravenous propofol and propofol with low-dose ketamine on preventing postextubation cough and laryngospasm among patients awakening from general anaesthesia: A prospective randomised clinical trial

Background Coughing and laryngospasm are undesirable consequences occurring when patients awaken from general anaesthesia. The objective of the study aimed to compare the effects of intravenous propofol and propofol with low-dose ketamine on preventing postextubation cough and laryngospasm. Methods In all, 120 patients scheduled surgery under general anaesthesia were randomly assigned into three groups. Patients in the control group (C-group) received intravenous 0.9% NaCl, while patients in the propofol group (P-group) received intravenous 0.25mg/kg propofol and patients in the propofol combined with ketamine group (PK-group) received intravenous 0.25mg/kg of propofol plus 0.15mg/kg of ketamine. Drugs were administered before extubation. Incidence and severity of coughing and laryngospasm were recorded by a blinded anaesthesiologist. Results Subjects of the PK-group (25%) experienced significantly reduced incidence of postoperative cough than that in the P-group (55%) and C-group (72.5%) (all P<0.05). The severity of cough in the PK-group was significantly less than that in the P-group and C-group (P=0.039 and P<0.001, respectively). No significant difference was found in the incidence and severity of laryngospasm between comparison groups. Conclusion Intravenous combination of propofol and low-dose ketamine significantly reduced the incidence and severity among patients awakening from general anaesthesia.