Effect of Temperature Variation of Intrathecal Bupivacaine on Shivering in Parturients Undergoing Spinal Anaesthesia

Abstract

BACKGROUND Shivering is commonly encountered complication following spinal anaesthesia leading to discomfort and interference with monitoring during caesarean section. There is no definite aetiology for this and hence no definite treatment is available. Hence, we wanted to study effect of temperature variation of spinal inject on post spinal shivering during caesarean section. METHODS This prospective randomized double-blind study was conducted on 80 parturients posted for elective caesarean section allocated to two groups of 40 each receiving 2.0 mL of 0.5 % hyperbaric bupivacaine with temperature of 220 C (group I) or 370 C (group II) intrathecally at L3 - L4 interspace. Onset of shivering, its severity and incidence were noted. Data was analysed using various tests and P-value < 0.05 was considered as significant and P-value < 0.01 was considered highly significant. RESULTS Demographic characters, surgical parameters as well as onset time of sensory blockade, maximum sensory blockade, time to achieve maximum sensory and motor blockade were comparable in the two groups. Shivering was present in 57.5 % of patients in group I and 32.5 % in group II and this difference was statistically significant. Overall, shivering percentage was 45 % although difference in mean onset time was not significant in the two groups. Grades of shivering were comparable in both groups. CONCLUSIONS Warm solutions used intrathecally can reduce incidence of shivering following spinal anaesthesia in caesarean section although it doesn’t influence intensity of shivering. KEY WORDS Neuraxial Anaesthesia, Temperature Variation, Post Spinal Shivering