[Intramuscular meperidine for the prevention of shivering in spinal anesthesia]

Intravenous meperidine 25mg has been employed effectively to treat shivering following regional anesthesia and general anesthesia. The study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of intramuscular meperidine for the prevention of shivering in spinal anesthesia. The series consisted of 60 patients who were divided into 2 groups with 30 patients in each, undergoing lower abdominal or lower extremity surgery. All patients were given diazepam 0.1mg/kg i.v. for anxiolysis when they came to the operating room. In a double blind and randomized fashion, patients in the study (meperidine) group received meperidine 25mg IM (= 0.5ml). In the control group 0.9% N/S 0.5ml IM was given instead. All patients received spinal anesthesia 15 minutes later. Measurement of the levels of sensory loss to pinprick was made. The ambient temperature and the rectal temperature were continuously monitored to evaluate the effect of the change in body temperature on shivering during operation. The degree and the occurrence of shivering were carefully evaluated and recorded by a blind-trust observer. There was no significant difference in maximal analgesic level, ambient temperature and change of rectal temperature during operation between the groups. Shivering occurred in 17 patients (56.7%) in the saline group with an onset time of 7.9 +/- 2.5min following spinal anesthesia. In the meperidine group, shivering occurred only in 3 patients (10%) with an onset time of 54 +/- 29.5min after spinal anesthesia. There was a significantly lower incidence of shivering in the meperidine group than in the saline group (p < 0.005).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)