Dexmedetomidine prevents shivering in patients undergoing lower extremity operation during spinal anesthesia

Objective To observe the effect of dexmedetomidine on preventing shivering in patients during spinal anesthesia.Methods Sixty ASA Ⅰ or Ⅱ patients undergoing selective lower extremity operation under spinal anesthesia were randomly divided into two groups(n=30 each).Patients were intravenously injected dexmedetomidine 1 μg/kg (dissolved in 100 ml saline,group D) or same volume of saline (group C) before spinal anesthesia.The changes of vital signs after injection 15,30 min were recorded. The occurrence of shivering was observed. The incidence of adverse reaction was recorded.Results Mean arterial pressure(MAP)and heart rate(HR) were lower in group D than in group C at 15 and 30 min after injection(P0.05). There was no significant difference in saturation of oxygen(SpO2) between the two groups. Group D (13.3%) had a lower shivering incidence than the group C (40.0%) (P0.05).There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reaction between the two groups.Conclusion Dexmedetomidine may be effective in preventing shivering during spinal anesthesia.