Patients who develop postanesthesia shaking show no difference in postoperative temperature from those who do not develop shaking.

While the cause of postanesthesia shaking (PS) remains unknown, nurses traditionally believe that the etiology of PS is hypothermia. Two theoretical constructs have been proposed to describe the development of PS. The first is based on classic thermoregulation theory. The second is based on spinal reflex hyperactivity. The purpose of this comparison study was to determine if significant differences in postoperative temperature, as well as change in preoperative to postoperative temperature, exists between patients who develop and who do not develop PS. The study also examined the difference in postoperative temperature between women and men. Postoperative axillary temperature was measured on admission to the PACU. The nonprobability convenience sample consisted of patients between the ages of 18 and 89 years who were extubated and breathing spontaneously following general anesthesia. PS developed in 120 of 533 patients. By t-test analysis, there was no statistical significant difference between groups in postoperative mean temperature (P greater than .10) or in preoperative to postoperative mean temperature change (P greater than .40). The group that developed PS had a narrower and higher range of postoperative temperature and a smaller preoperative to postoperative temperature change than those who did not develop PS. In both groups, 52% of the patients were hypothermic (less than 35 degrees C[less than 95 degrees F]) on PACU admission. Women had lower postoperative mean temperature than men (P less than .05). Findings indicate that temperature on PACU admission is not a variable of difference between groups of patients who develop or who do not develop PS. As postoperative temperature decreases, the incidence of PS does not increase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)