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.