Pressure generated by cough is an expression of expiratory muscle strength. Cough pressure (Pcough) is usually measured with gastric and/or esophageal catheters, but these are often either inconvenient or uncomfortable for the patient. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether central venous, vesical or rectal catheters could be useful to measure cough pressures as alternative sites to standard esophageal and gastric balloons.