Comparison of the Effect of Ondansetron and Dexamethasone on Postoperative Shivering After Cesarean Section in Patients Undergoing Spinal Anesthesia

Abstract

Background: Shivering is one of the most common problems after spinal anesthesia, which can cause many complications. Various methods and drugs have been used to prevent and treat postoperative shivering. In the present study, the pretreatment effect of ondansetron and dexamethasone in reducing the incidence of shivering after elective caesarean section by the spinal method has been investigated. Methods: In this study, 78 patients undergoing elective cesarean surgery who were eligible to enter the study were evaluated and randomly divided into two groups: 8mg of ondansetron and 4mg of dexamethasone 15 minutes before the end of surgery. Then, the incidence of shivering was measured at specific time intervals after surgery. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS software. Results: The two groups were similar in terms of age, height, weight, and BMI (p-value > 0.05). The incidence of shivering at the time of entering the recovery, 10, 20, and 30 minutes in the ondansetron group was 23.1%, 20.5%, 12.8% and 0% and in the dexamethasone, group was 20.5%, 15.4%, 5.2% and 0%, respectively. Statistical analysis showed that these differences are not significant at the significance level of 0.05. These two drugs have the same effectiveness in controlling shivering after cesarean section under spinal anesthesia (p-value > 0.05). Conclusion: Dexamethasone and ondansetron will be able to control shivering after caesarean section with spinal anesthesia.