Effect of Preoperative Intranasal Dexmedetomidine on Incidence of Intraoperative Shivering in Patients Undergoing Cesarean Section Under Spinal Anesthesia

September 28, 2026 updated by: Beshoy Bahaa Basha Naeem, Assiut University

Effect of Preoperative Intranasal Dexmedetomidine on Incidence of Intraoperative Shivering in Patients Undergoing Cesarean Section Under Spinal Anesthesia: Randomized Controlled Trial

Shivering is a common and distressing complication occurring in 40% to 60% of women undergoing cesarean section under spinal anesthesia. Beyond causing significant maternal discomfort, shivering markedly increases oxygen consumption and metabolic demand, elevates cardiopulmonary workload, and interferes with clinical monitoring. While intravenous meperidine remains a widely used pharmacological agent for shivering prophylaxis, it carries dose-dependent adverse effects such as nausea, vomiting, sedation, and potential neonatal depression. Intranasal dexmedetomidine provides an alternative needle-free method of administration that rapidly absorbs through the nasal mucosa and reduces shivering without suppressing respiratory drive.

The primary purpose of this randomized controlled trial is to evaluate the efficacy of preoperative intranasal dexmedetomidine in reducing the incidence of intraoperative shivering compared with intravenous meperidine and placebo in women undergoing elective cesarean section under spinal anesthesia.

A total of 99 parturients will be randomly allocated to one of three parallel groups (33 patients per group) using a double-dummy design:

  • Group D: Receives intranasal dexmedetomidine (1 mcg/kg) 30 minutes before spinal anesthesia, plus an intravenous saline placebo at spinal induction.
  • Group M: Receives intranasal saline placebo 30 minutes before spinal anesthesia, plus intravenous meperidine (0.5 mg/kg) at spinal induction.
  • Group C: Receives intranasal saline placebo 30 minutes before spinal anesthesia, plus intravenous saline placebo at spinal induction.

Participants will be monitored throughout the surgical procedure to determine the occurrence of shivering, maternal hemodynamic parameters (heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation), sedation levels using the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS), need for rescue anti-shivering medication, side effects, and neonatal outcomes (Apgar scores and birth weight).

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

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Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

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Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
99

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 4

Participation Criteria

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Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 40 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Female patients aged 18 to 40 years.
  • American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status II.
  • Term singleton pregnancy.
  • Scheduled for elective cesarean section under spinal anesthesia.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Refusal to participate.
  • Contraindications to spinal anesthesia.
  • Nasal pathology preventing intranasal drug administration.
  • Known allergy or hypersensitivity to any study medication (dexmedetomidine, meperidine, or bupivacaine).
  • Significant cardiac disease.
  • Renal or hepatic impairment.
  • Preeclampsia, eclampsia, or HELLP syndrome.
  • Cesarean section requiring general anesthesia.
  • Body mass index (BMI) > 40 kg/m².

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: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Group D: Intranasal Dexmedetomidine

Participants receive intranasal dexmedetomidine 1 mcg/kg diluted in 2 mL normal saline administered 30 minutes before induction of spinal anesthesia in the pre-anesthesia room, along with an intravenous bolus of 10 mL normal saline 0.9% immediately before spinal injection (double-dummy placebo) (n = 33).
Drug: Dexmedetomidine

Administered intranasally at a dose of 1 mcg/kg diluted in 2 mL normal saline 0.9% using a sterile dropper, instilled slowly into each nostril 30 minutes before induction of spinal anesthesia in the pre-anesthesia room.

Drug: Normal Saline 0.9%

Administered as an identical matching placebo within the double-dummy design: 2 mL intranasally (30 minutes prior to spinal anesthesia) and/or 10 mL as an intravenous bolus (immediately before spinal induction).
Active Comparator: Group M: Intravenous Meperidine

Participants receive 2 mL normal saline 0.9% intranasally 30 minutes before induction of spinal anesthesia (double-dummy placebo), along with an intravenous bolus of meperidine 0.5 mg/kg diluted to 10 mL normal saline immediately before spinal injection (n = 33).
Drug: Normal Saline 0.9%

Administered as an identical matching placebo within the double-dummy design: 2 mL intranasally (30 minutes prior to spinal anesthesia) and/or 10 mL as an intravenous bolus (immediately before spinal induction).

Drug: Meperidine

Administered as an intravenous bolus at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg diluted to a total volume of 10 mL normal saline 0.9% immediately before the induction of spinal anesthesia.
Placebo Comparator: Group C: Placebo Control

Participants receive 2 mL normal saline 0.9% intranasally 30 minutes before induction of spinal anesthesia, along with an intravenous bolus of 10 mL normal saline 0.9% immediately before spinal injection (n = 33).
Drug: Normal Saline 0.9%

Administered as an identical matching placebo within the double-dummy design: 2 mL intranasally (30 minutes prior to spinal anesthesia) and/or 10 mL as an intravenous bolus (immediately before spinal induction).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Number of Participants With Intraoperative Shivering
Time Frame: Through completion of surgery, up to 2 hours

Participants will be assessed for the occurrence of intraoperative shivering using a 5-point scale: Grade 0 = no shivering; Grade 1 = piloerection, peripheral vasoconstriction, or cyanosis; Grade 2 = visible muscle activity confined to one muscle group; Grade 3 = visible muscle activity involving more than one muscle group; Grade 4 = gross muscle activity involving the whole body (scores range from 0 to 4, where 0 indicates no shivering and 4 indicates severe whole-body shivering). Shivering is defined as the occurrence of Grade 1 or higher at any time during the procedure.
Through completion of surgery, up to 2 hours

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Assiut University

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 (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
November 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
September 28, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 28, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
October 2, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
October 2, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 28, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • Nasal Dex for Shivering in CS

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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