The Ïncidence of Postanesthesia Shivering and Çlinical Relevant Factors in Women in Javaheri Hospital in Tehran

Background and The incidence of postanesthesia shivering varies between 5 and 65 % and patients report it as one of the leading cause of discomfort after operation. Ït may also induce a variety of physiological consequences such as increased oxygen consumption and cardiac output. This study was performed to find out the incidence of postanesthesia shivering in women and to report the influence of several clinical variables on its incidence. This prospective observational study was carried out on 448 female patients who underwent gynecologic operations under general، regional or sedation anesthesia techniques at Tehran Javaheri hospital over a period of 7 months in 2005. The incidence of postanesthesia shivering was assessed in these patients. Âlso، several clinical variables including patients’ demographics، surgical and anesthetic data as well as preoperative and postoperative core temperatures were recorded. Ôf 448 women، 83 (18. 5%) experienced shivering. The minor versus major and moderate operations، as well as the conscious sedation versus general and spinal anesthesia techniques significantly reduced the incidence of postanesthesia shivering. While the use of halothane and N2Ô for maintanance of general anesthesia، and intravenous administration of atropine and prostigmine to antagonize the muscle relaxants، as well as the intraoperative administration of larger volumes of intravenous crystalloid solutions were associated with increased postanesthesia shivering. Çonclusion: The use of halothane for maintenance of general anesthesia، the intraoperative administration of larger crystalloid volumes and applying spinal anesthesia technique، increase the risk of postanesthesia shivering، while no correlation was found between hypothermia and the occurrence of shivering.