Effect of dexmedetomidine on choking response in patients undergoing general anesthesia for thyroid surgery

Abstract

Objective To investigate the effect of dexmedetomidine on choking response in patients undergoing general anesthesia for thyroid surgery. Methods 80 patients undertaking partial thyroidectomy under general anesthesia from October, 2015 to March, 2017 were divided into an observation group and a control group by random number method, 40 cases for each group. The control group took midazolam for perioperative sedation and the observation group dextromethorphan. After the intervention, the time for restoring spontaneous breathing, extubation time, and anesthesia recovery time were compared between these two groups. And the incidences of choking and choking scores of these two groups were calculated. Results The time for restoring spontaneous breathing, the extubation time, and the total recovery time of anesthesia were (11.4 ± 1.5) min, (18.2±1.9) min, and (35.5±3.2) min in the observation group and were (15.5±1.9) min, (26.9±2.6) min, and (40.9±3.6) min in the control group (allP<0.05). The incidence of cough was 27.5% in the observation group and was 92.5% in the control group (P<0.05). The choking score was (1.5 ± 0.2) in the observation group and was (3.1 ± 0.4) in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion For patients undertaking thyroid surgery, perioperatively using dexmedetomidine can effectively promote the patients’ recovery, early remove tracheal tube, and reduce the incidence of choking reflex. Key words: Dexmedetomidine; General anesthesia; Thyroid; Choking