Abstract
BackgroundShivering during regional anesthesia is a common complication and is related to a decrease in the patient’s core body temperature. Previous studies have shown that acupuncture on specific acupoints can preserve core body temperature. The present study evaluated the effect of electroacupuncture in preventing the shivering caused by regional anesthesia.MethodsThis prospective and randomized controlled study analyzed the data from 80 patients undergoing urological surgery, who were classified as ASA I or II. Spinal anesthesia was performed in all patients using 15 mg of bupivacaine. The patients were randomly allocated to receive either placebo acupuncture (Group P, n = 40) or electroacupuncture (Group A, n = 40) for 30 min before administration of spinal anesthesia. Shivering score was recorded at 5 min intervals, with 0 representing no shivering and 4 representing the most severe shivering possible. Heart rate, blood pressure, and tympanic temperature were recorded before the intrathecal injection, and again every 5 min thereafter until 30 min.ResultsAfter spinal anesthesia, the decrease in tympanic temperature was less for Group A patients than Group P, with the difference being statistically significant. After 15 min, 13 patients in Group P attained a shivering score of 3 or more, compared with 3 patients in Group A. Significantly more patients in Group P attained a shivering score of at least 1.ConclusionsThe prophylactic use of electroacupuncture might maintain core body temperature, and may effectively prevent the shivering that commonly develops during regional anesthesia.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12612000096853.
Highlights
Shivering during regional anesthesia is a common complication and is related to a decrease in the patient’s core body temperature
We examined the effect of electroacupuncture treatment on postanesthetic shivering during regional anesthesia in patients undergoing ureteroendoscopic surgery
We excluded from the study patients who had previously received acupuncture; or who had a history of hypo- or hyperthyroidism, cardiopulmonary disease, or psychological disorder; or who needed blood transfusion during surgery; or whose initial body temperature was >38.0°C or
Summary
Shivering during regional anesthesia is a common complication and is related to a decrease in the patient’s core body temperature. Previous studies have shown that acupuncture on specific acupoints can preserve core body temperature. Regional anesthesia may impair a patient’s thermoregulatory control [1], with associated shivering being reported in up to 64% of cases [2,3,4]. Regional anesthesia produces vasodilatation, which facilitates core-to-peripheral redistribution of heat and decreases the core body temperature [11]. Acupuncture applied to a specific acupoint may induce slight core hyperthermia with a decrease in skin temperature, a finding which suggests that acupuncture might be able to reverse the core-to-periphery redistribution of heat [13]
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