Journal of Anesthesiology and Pain

Aims and Background : Shivering is one of the common unpleasant side effects after surgery. Shivering is associated with problems such as increased oxygen consumption, increased intracranial pressure and other complications. The aim of the present study has been to compare the effect of different doses of Pethidine and Fentanyl in preventing postoperative shivering after spinal anesthesia for orthopedic surgeries.

Materials and methods: In this randomized clinical trial, 60 orthopedic patients admitted to Ilam Imam Khomeini Hospital were selected from March 2013 to September 2013. All participants were randomly assigned into two groups : Pethidine and Fentanyl . The Severity of shivering after spinal anesthesia was compared between the groups. The analysis was done using the p aired t test , independent t-test , and Chi-squared test. P-value less than 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.

Finding : The key variables known to affect surgery outcomes were statistically similar in both groups. 98.3% of all participants had mild shivering, and 1.7% had moderate shivering .There was no report of any cases with severe shivering. The mean severity of shivering was reduced significantly in both groups. However, this reduction in the severity of shivering was not statistically significant between the two groups (P=0.28).There was not any difference in shivering severity between the groups before (P=0.052) and after (P=0.47) the intervention .

Conclusion: Pethidine and Fentanyl have the same effect in preventing postoperative shivering . Therefore, assessment of other conditions in patients would be recommended for anesthesiologists in order to control shivering .