Effect of active warming on shivering during spinal anesthesia

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Perioperative Medicine
• Thermoregulation

Background:

• Intraoperative hypothermia is a common cause of shivering during surgery.
• Maintaining normothermia is crucial for patient safety and comfort.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of active warming in preventing hypothermia and shivering.
• To assess the impact of active warming on patient comfort during spinal anesthesia.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 50 male patients undergoing lower extremity surgery under spinal anesthesia.
• Comparison between an active warming group (forced air, warmed blanket, warmed fluids) and a control group.
• Monitoring of axillary and tympanic temperatures, shivering, and thermal discomfort.

Main Results:

• The active warming group maintained significantly higher axillary and tympanic temperatures compared to the control group.
• Incidences of intraoperative shivering and thermal discomfort were significantly lower in the active warming group.
• The lowest intraoperative temperature was higher in the warming group (36.3°C vs. 35.7°C).

Conclusions:

• Intraoperative active warming is an effective strategy to prevent hypothermia and shivering during spinal anesthesia.
• Active warming improves perioperative temperature management and patient comfort.