A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials: efficiency and safety of ondansetron in preventing post-anesthesia shivering during cesarean section.

Abstract

Although ondansetron was considered to prevent post-anesthesia shivering during cesarean section, its efficiency remained controversial. Our review was conducted to estimate the efficiency and safety of ondansetron in preventing post-anesthesia shivering during cesarean section. The literature were searched from their inception to October 2020 without restriction of language. All randomized controlled trials investigating the efficacy of ondansetron versus placebo in preventing shivering during cesarean section under neuraxial anesthesia were included. The meta-analysis was conducted using Stata software. Eleven randomized controlled studies with a total of 748 individuals were finally included in our meta-analysis. Our results manifested that intravenous ondansetron compared with intravenous placebo significantly reduced the incidence of post-anesthesia shivering (PAS) (RR 0.53, 95% CI 0.14-0.68). Subgroup analysis according todoses of ondansetron indicated that the efficacy of 4mg doses of ondansetron (RR 0.37, 95% CI 0.21-0.64)is equivalent to that of 8mg doses of ondansetron (RR 0.61, 95% CI 0.47-0.81) in preventing PAS. In addition, the intravenous ondansetron led to a lower incidence of hypotension than intravenous placebo (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.32-0.70). We could not demonstrate differences in the incidence of bradycardia between intravenous ondansetron and intravenous placebo. Our results found that intravenous ondansetron was effective in preventing shivering during cesarean section under neuraxial anesthesia, and had an advantage in reducing the incidence of hypotension compared with intravenous placebo.