EFFECT OF CLONIDINE ON POSTPARTUM SHIVERING AFTER EPIDURAL ANALGESIA - A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED, DOUBLE-BLIND-STUDY

In obstetric patients treated with epidural analgesia during labor and delivery, shivering is quite frequent due to stress, vasodilatation, infusion of fluids, low ambient temperature, and the direct effect of solution injected into the epidural space. Sixty obstetric patients wh o developed shivering after receiving epidural analgesia for delivery were randomly assigned to treatment with clonidine 0.150 mg IV (N = 20 ), meperidine 50 mg IV (N = 20), or saline solution (N = 20). Drug adm inistration was double blind The effect on shivering (graded as all or none), drowsiness, heart rate, and systolic arterial pressure was eva luated 5 min after the study drug was administered. Clonidine was as e ffective as meperidine in controlling shivering and caused a greater r eduction in heart rate. Drowsiness occurred after clonidine as well as meperidine. Thus, clonidine proved to be effective in controlling shi vering and adrenergic response after delivery using epidural analgesia and produced an acceptable level of drowsiness.