Background: The present study was to compare the potential impact of remifentanil-based propofol-supplemented anesthesia regimen vs. conventional sevoflurane-sufentanil balanced anesthesia on postoperative recovery of consciousness indicated by c) values in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Methods: Patients undergoing cardiac surgery were randomly allocated to get the remifentanil-based propofol-supplemented anesthesia employing target-controlled infusion (TCI) of remifentanil and propofol (Group-PR, n = 15) or a balanced-anesthesia employing sevoflurane-inhalation and TCI-sufentanil (Group-C, n = 19). In Group-PR, plasma concentration (Cp) of TCI-remifentanil was fixed at 20 ng/ml, and the effect-site concentration of TCI-propofol was adjusted within 0.8–2.0 μg/ml to maintain BIS value of 40–60. In Group-C, sevoflurane dosage was adjusted within 1–1.5 minimum alveolar concentration to maintain BIS of 40–60, and Cp of TCI-sufentanil was fixed at 0.4 ng/ml. The inter-group difference in the time for achieving postoperative BIS > 80 (T-BIS80) in the intensive care unit was determined as the primary outcome. The inter-group difference in the extubation time was determined as the secondary outcome. Results: T-BIS80, was shorter in Group-PR than Group-C (121.4 ± 64.9 min vs. 182.9 ± 85.1 min, respectively; the difference of means –61.5 min; 95% CI –115.7 to –7.4 min; effect size 0.812; P = 0.027). The extubation time was shorter in Group-PR than in Group-C (434.7 ± 131.3 min vs. 946.6 ± 393.3 min, respectively, P < 0.001). Conclusions Compared with the conventional sevoflurane-sufentanil balanced anesthesia, the remifentanil-based propofol-supplemented anesthesia showed significantly faster postoperative conscious recovery in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.