Objective To compare the effects of intranasal and intravenous administration of dexmedetomidine on the prevention of cough response to sufentanil.Methods A total of 238 patients undergoing general anesthesia with sufentanil from January 2020 to January 2022 were selected as the research objects.The patients were divided into group A and group B by random number table method,with 119 cases in each group.Anesthesia induction and maintenance were performed with the same drugs.The group A was given intranasal administration of dexmedetomidine before anesthesia induction,and the group B was given continuous intravenous infusion of dexmedetomidine from 15 min before anesthesia induction to the end of surgery.The application effects of the two groups were compared.Results The incidence of cough in the group B was 3.36%,which was lower than 10.92%in the group A(P<0.05);there was no significant difference in the severity of cough between the two groups(P>0.05).There were no significant differences in heart rate and mean arterial pressure between the two groups during anesthesia(T0)and 3 min after tracheal intubation(T3)(P>0.05);at 3 min after anesthesia(T1)and 1 min after tracheal intubation(T2),the heart rate and mean arterial pressure in the group B were higher than those in the group A(P<0.05);at T1,the heart rate and mean arterial pressure of the two groups were lower than those at T0,T2 and T3(P<0.05);at T2,the heart rate and mean arterial pressure of the two groups were lower than those at T0 and T3(P<0.05).The total incidence of adverse events in the group B was 21.85%,which was higher than 9.24%in the group A(P<0.05).Conclusion Dexmedetomidine can prevent cough induced by sufentanil general anesthesia induction,compared with intranasal administration,continuous intravenous administration can give full play to the bioavailability of the drug,the effect of preventing cough is better,but there is a risk of bradycardia.