Nebulized vs. IV Ketamine in Preventing Shivering Post Spinal Anesthesia

June 28, 2025 updated by: Mohammed Lotfy, Tanta University

Nebulized Versus Intravenous Ketamine as Prophylaxis Against Spinal Anesthesia-induced Shivering and Hemodynamic Changes: A Placebo-controlled Prospective Study

Shivering is an involuntary muscle activity, often triggered by hypothermia, that can occur after anesthesia. This is known as postanesthetic shivering (PAS) and is a common issue that increases oxygen demand, raises the risk of low oxygen levels, and can lead to complications after surgery.

Spinal anesthesia (SA) is a popular choice due to its quick action and effective numbing. However, it's frequently linked to shivering during and after the procedure.

To combat PAS, various methods have been used. Non-pharmacological approaches like insulation, continuous warming, and temperature management have been shown to reduce low body temperature during surgery and decrease shivering and complications afterward, aiding recovery.

Pharmacologically, certain medications can help. Intrathecal meperidine or intravenous (IV) ketamine are effective in preventing PAS. Intrathecal midazolam can also reduce shivering, unlike fentanyl. Additionally, IV ketamine infusion can lower the incidence of low blood pressure and shivering in patients receiving SA. Low-dose ketamine combined with dexmedetomidine, or dexmedetomidine alone, have also shown similar effectiveness in reducing shivering and postoperative nausea and vomiting during SA.

Study Overview

Status

Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

120

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • El Gharbyia
      • Tanta, El Gharbyia, Egypt, 13511
        • Tanta University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients who were assigned for Inguinal Hernia hernioplasty;
  • Patients free of exclusion criteria were enrolled in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients who were on the American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status classification (ASA) grade >II;
  • Patients with body mass index (BMI) >30 kg/m²;
  • Patients with Upper respiratory tract diseases;
  • Patients with spinal deformities or diseases;
  • Patients with coagulopathy, or allergies to the drugs used;

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Group P (Placebo)
Patients in this group met the study's inclusion criteria and received inactive solutions (saline) both through nebulization and intravenously, serving as a control.
Patients received Intravenous Normal saline
Patients received nebulized Saline
Active Comparator: Group NK (Nebulized Ketamine)
Patients in this group met the study's inclusion criteria and received ketamine via a nebulizer at a specific dose. They also received intravenous saline as a placebo.
Patients received Intravenous Normal saline
Patients received nebulized ketamine at a dose of 0.75 mg/kg adjusted to 5 ml by adding normal saline to be inhaled through a breath-actuated nebulizer
Placebo Comparator: Group IVK (Intravenous Ketamine)
Patients in this group met the study's inclusion criteria and received ketamine intravenously as a prophylactic drug before spinal anesthesia. They also received nebulized saline as a placebo.
Patients received nebulized Saline
Patients received IV ketamine 0.25 mg/kg before Spinal anesthesia as a prophylactic drug

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Effectiveness of Nebulized Ketamine on Post-Anesthesia Shivering (PAS) Incidence and Severity
Time Frame: 56 days
This Study asses the effectiveness of the administered therapy in controlling Post-Anesthesia Shivering (PAS) as a reduction in both its incidence and severity. Specifically, effective control is indicated by a Bedside Shivering Assessment Score (BSAS) of less than 2 within the initial 60 minutes post-therapy, alongside a reduction in other associated adverse effects.
56 days

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

May 2, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 27, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

July 15, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 28, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 28, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

July 9, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

July 9, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 28, 2025

Last Verified

June 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 36264PR1219/5/25

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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