Butorphanol for the relief of shivering associated with extradural anesthesia in parturients.

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To assess the efficacy of butorphanol for the relief of shivering following the epidural administration of 2% lidocaine.

DESIGN

Randomized, double-blind study.

SETTING

Labor and delivery department of a university-affiliated hospital inpatient facility.

PATIENTS

Sixty-one healthy labor patients.

INTERVENTIONS

Patients who had sustained shivering associated with lidocaine epidural anesthesia were given normal saline or butorphanol 1 mg. Patients were observed for 20 minutes following the administration of a study solution.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Shivering ceased within a mean time of 12.9 +/- 3.8 minutes in approximately 81% of the patients who received epidural butorphanol (p < 0.01), while 3% of the patients in the placebo group had no shivering following the administration of epidural saline. No sedation or changes in fetal heart rate were associated with epidural butorphanol.

CONCLUSIONS

Epidural butorphanol is effective in the treatment of postepidural shivering associated with epidural lidocaine. Epidural agonist opioids have been reported to be efficacious in the management of postepidural shivering. This study demonstrated that a partial agonist opioid also is effective in the treatment of postepidural shivering.