Background: Sufentanil-induced cough is frequent during the induction of anesthesia. The aim of this research was to assess the influence of pretreatment with nalbuphine on sufentanil-induced cough.
Patients and Methods: A total of  210 American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) I–II patients who are 18– 70 years old and scheduled for elective surgery were randomly divided into two groups. Group N was pretreated with 0.3 mg/kg nalbuphine at 150 s before induction with sufentanil, and Group C received the same volume of normal saline as the placebo. We assessed the incidence and severity of cough 2 minutes after sufentanil administration. We also recorded the hemodynamic changes and side effects of sufentanil after sufentanil administration.
Results: No patients had cough in group N, and 30 patients had cough in group C (degree of cough: mild 8; moderate 10; severe 12). The incidence and severity of cough in group N were significantly lower than those in group C.
Conclusion: Pretreatment with 0.3 mg/kg nalbuphine significantly suppressed the incidence and intensity of sufentanil-induced cough.
Keywords: nalbuphine, sufentanil, cough, anesthesia