Comparison of the incidence and severity of cough after alfentanil and remifentanil injection.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Intravenous administration of fentanyl derivatives can induce cough paradoxically. This study examined the incidence and severity of cough after a bolus of alfentanil and remifentanil.

METHODS:

Four hundred and sixty-five patients, aged 18-70 years, were allocated randomly to three groups to receive alfentanil 10 microg/kg, remifentanil 1 microg/kg or an equal volume of 0.9% saline intravenously over 10 s. Any episode of cough was classified as coughing and graded as mild (1-2), moderate (3-4) or severe (5 or more).

RESULTS:

The overall incidence of cough was higher in the opioid groups than in the saline group. The remifentanil group [39/150 patients; 26.0% (95% CI, 19.6-33.6%)] showed a higher incidence than the alfentanil group [11/152 patients; 7.2% (95% CI, 0.4-12.6%)] (P<0.001). There was no significant difference in the severity of cough between the alfentanil group and the remifentanil group.

CONCLUSION:

This study demonstrated that equipotent boluses of alfentanil and remifentanil induced coughing, even though the incidence of cough after alfentanil administration was lower than that after remifentanil administration.

• Authors: H B Cho, H J Kwak, S Y Park, J Y Kim
• Journal: Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica (Acta Anaesthesiol Scand) Vol. 54 Issue 6 Pg. 717-20 (Jul 2010) ISSN: 1399-6576 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 20085544 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial)

Chemical References

• Piperidines
• Alfentanil
• Remifentanil

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Alfentanil (administration & dosage, adverse effects)
• Anesthesia, General
• Cough (chemically induced, epidemiology)
• Double-Blind Method
• Elective Surgical Procedures
• Female
• Hemodynamics (drug effects)
• Humans
• Incidence
• Injections, Intravenous
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Models, Neurological
• Piperidines (administration & dosage, adverse effects)
• Preanesthetic Medication
• Remifentanil
• Severity of Illness Index