Understanding Anesthesiology - The Global Regional Anesthesia ...

Cough reflex
The cough reflex is an attempt to clear the upper or lower airway of foreign matter and is
triggered by sensory input.
The cough reflex is an important means of protection against aspiration. The cough reflex is
blunted by anything that decreases level of consciousness. Opioids, in particular, are very effective
at attenuating the cough reflex and are a useful adjunct to topicalization of the airway
during awake intubation.
It is important to understand that coughing is separate reflex than breathing. On emergence,
patients may cough (due to the stimulation of the endotracheal tube) despite not (yet) having
a drive to breath. Therefore, the anesthesiologist must resist the temptation to extubate
the coughing patient until it has been established that the drive to breathe has returned.
Related Glossary Terms
Apneic threshold, Aspiration, Emergence, Fibreoptic bronchoscope, Lower airway, Opioids,
Upper airway
Index
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Chapter 1 - Airway Management
Chapter 3 - General Anesthesia