Efficacy of a propofol bolus against placebo to prevent cough at emergence from general anesthesia with desflurane: a randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: Emergence from anesthesia is a critical period and cough can result in adverse effects. Propofol inhibits airway reflexes and when infused it reduces cough more than inhalation anesthesia does. We evaluated the effect of a propofol bolus given at emergence on the incidence of coughing following a desflurane-based anesthesia.