A Comparison Among Nalbuphine, Meperidine, and Placebo for Treating Postanesthetic Shivering

Postanesthetic shivering (PS) is distressing for patients and may induce a variety of complications.In this prospective, double-blinded, randomized study, we evaluated the value of nalbuphine, compared with meperidine and saline, for treating PS. Ninety adult patients were included in the study. Group 1 (n = 30) received IV nalbuphine 0.08 mg/kg, Group 2 (n = 30) received IV meperidine 0.4 mg/kg, and Group 3 (n = 30) received IV saline. Treatment that stopped shivering was considered to have been successful. The results demonstrated that, 5 min after treatment, both nalbuphine and meperidine provided a rapid and potent anti-shivering effect on PS, with high response rates of 80% and 83%, compared with those of saline (0%) (P < 0.01). Thirty minutes after injection, the response rates of nalbuphine and meperidine were 90% and 93%, respectively, compared with 17% in the saline group (P < 0.01). The differences between nalbuphine and meperidine were not significant. We conclude that nalbuphine may be an alternative to meperidine for treating PS. Implications: We evaluated nalbuphine versus meperidine and saline for treating postanesthetic shivering. Our results demonstrate that both nalbuphine and meperidine provide a similar rapid and potent anti-shivering effect. Nalbuphine may be an alternative to meperidine for treating postanesthetic shivering. (Anesth Analg 1999;88:686-9)