Effectiveness of Ephedrine for the prevention of postoperative shivering after general anesthesia
Keywords:
Ephedrine, general anesthesia, shivering preventionAbstract
Postoperative shivering after general anesthesia is a common side effect among patients with increased oxygen consumption. This event may increase the risk of myocardial infraction, acidemia, and discomfort for the patients. Therefore, this study aims to compare the efficacy of prophylactic ephedrine and a placebo for the prevention of shivering caused by general anesthesia. A randomized control trial of 108 patients with an ASA status of 1-3 had surgery under general anesthesia. The patients were randomly allocated to receive normal saline (n=54) or ephedrine 9 mg. (n=54) intravenously. The vital signs, tympanic temperature, shivering score and side effects, i.e., hypertension and tachycardia were also recorded. The results revealed that the incidence of postoperative shivering was significantly less than in the ephedrine group (p=0.006). The number of patients with a score of three on the shivering scale was significantly higher in the normal saline group (p=0.020). The mean tympanic temperature fell in both groups and more significantly in the normal saline group (p<0.001). Therefore, the prophylactic use of ephedrine is effective for the prevention of postoperative shivering without causing any major side-effects.
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