Expert: Mike MacKinnon MSN CRNA - 12/12/2011

Question
I have a quick question.  during my knee surgery in 2002 and a recent neck surgery in 2011 while under anesthesia I began coughing uncontrollably (2011)-  After coming out from the procedure the Dr. said he was scared for a bit because of my intense coughing-  For the next three days my ribs felt broken and I could not walk-  I am so scared to have another procedure done because of the excessive coughing-  Both my surgeon and the anesthesiologist said I should always let the new dr know I had these episodes before going under.  Do you know what causes them?

Answer
Hey Chris, thanks for the question!

There are various drugs we give which can cause coughing which can be violent but usually short lived. The most common drugs used which cause coughing are propofol and fentanyl. I cannot say for sure that this is what happened to you as I was not there but it is a likely explanation. In anycase precautions can be taken to help decrease the risk of such an episode in the future which your anesthetist should be well aware of.

I totally understand your concern and hesitation to have another anesthetic but I want to assure you that steps can be taken to decrease the risk of this happening again. Just make sure you let them know!

I hope this helps a little to ease your concerns.