The Role of Dexmedetomidine and Pethidine in Controlling Intraoperative Shivering During Spinal Anesthesia

Spinal anesthesia is a safe and widely used anesthetic procedure, practiced for both elective and emergency surgeries. The present study compares the efficacy of Dexmedetomidine and Pethidine to control intraoperative shivering during spinal anesthesia. The study was conducted from January 2020 - July 2020 in a tertiary care centre including 60 patients aged between 20-60 years, belonging to ASA grade I/II, who developed grade 2-3 shivering following spinal anesthesia. These patients were randomized into two groups: Group I received a single intravenous bolus dose of 0.5 mcg/kg of Dexmedetomidine over 5 minutes and Group II received a single intravenous bolus dose of 0.5 mg/kg Pethidine over 5 minutes. Patients were monitored for drug failure, recurrence of shivering, and side effects. Preoperative temperature in Group I and Group II was 37.1 degrees Celsius and 37.2 degrees Celsius, respectively. The temperature in both groups during shivering was 36.2 and 36.4 degrees Celsius in Group I and Group II, respectively. Preoperative heart rate in Group I and Group II was 84.2 beats/minute and 75.4 beats/minute, respectively. Heart rate in both groups during shivering was 83.6 and 73.5 beats/minute in Group I and Group II, respectively. Grade 3 shivering was observed in 14 patients of Group I and in 19 patients of Group II (p< 0.05). Sixteen and eleven patients in Group I and Group II, respectively were found to have Grade 4 shivering (p< 0.05). Five patients of Group I and four patients of Group II experience recurrent shivering (P< 0.05). Nausea was reported by 2 patients in Group I and 1 patient in Group II (P< 0.05). Dexmedetomidine has better intraoperative shivering control during spinal anesthesia.