A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF DEXMEDETOMIDINE AND TRAMADOL IN THE PREVENTION OF INTRAOPERATIVE SHIVERING IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING SURGERY UNDER SPINAL ANAESTHESIA

Background: Shivering is a common and distressing experience to patients which occurs either during or immediately after the surgery. It is defined as an involuntary, repetitive activity of skeletal muscles. Spinal anaesthesia impairs the thermoregulatory system by inhibiting vasoconstriction, and results in redistribution of core heat to the periphery from the trunk. Both these effects predispose patients to hypothermia and shivering. commonly used drugs for treatment of hypothermia are pethidine, tramadol, dexmedetomidine, clonidine.

Objective: To study the efficacy and side effects of dexmedetomidine and tramadol in the prevention of intraoperative shivering.

Materials and method: This study is on patients undergoing lower abdominal surgeries and lower limb general surgeries under spinal anaesthesia was done in basaweshwara teaching and general hospital, MR medical college gulbarga. It was a prospective study including 60 consented patients of age group 18 – 65 years belonging to American society of anesthesiologists class I or II and posted for lower abdominal surgeries and lower limb general surgeries under spinal anesthesia were randomly allocated to Dexmedetomidine and Tramadol groups.

Results: This study included 60 patients, 30 in each group. There was statistically significant difference in group D and Group T at 15 min ( p<0.045) and at 30 min (p<0.003). The rescue drug was used more in tramadol group which included 12 patients and only 1 in dexmedetomidine group. p value for this is 0.001 which is highly significant.

Conclusion: Dexmedetomidine is more effective in the prevention of shivering when compared to tramadol. Dexmedetomidine has an added advantage of adequate reliable sedation. Hence, we conclude that Dexmedetomidine is most effective in the prevention of shivering when compared to tramadol.