Prevention of post-anaesthesia shivering

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Physiology
• Surgical Care

Background:

• Maintaining normothermia during surgery is crucial for patient outcomes.
• Hypothermia can lead to complications such as increased blood loss and delayed recovery.
• Shivering post-anesthesia is a common and uncomfortable side effect.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of using warmed, humidified anesthetic gases in preventing hypothermia.
• To assess the impact of this intervention on post-anesthesia shivering.
• To compare patient temperatures during and after prolonged abdominal operations under different ventilation conditions.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving two groups of patients undergoing prolonged elective abdominal operations.
• One group received ventilation with warmed, humidified anesthetic gases; the control group did not.
• Core body temperatures (tympanic, esophageal, toe) were monitored throughout the operation and recovery period.

Main Results:

• Patients receiving warmed, humidified anesthetic gases maintained normothermia more effectively.
• Fifty percent of patients in the un-warmed group experienced shivering in the recovery room, compared to none in the warmed group.
• The intervention demonstrated significant heat transfer via the lungs.

Conclusions:

• Pulmonary ventilation with warm, humidified anesthetic gases is an effective method for preventing intraoperative hypothermia.
• This technique successfully prevents post-anesthesia shivering by maintaining patient normothermia.
• The findings support the routine use of warmed, humidified anesthetic gases in prolonged surgeries.