THIS STUDY AIMS TO COMPARE TWO DRUGS KETAMINE AND TRAMAL IN PREVENTION OF SHIVERING IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING SPINAL ANESTHESIA STUDY POPULATION IS PT UNDERGOING C SECTION . DOSE OF KETAMINE IS 0.25mg/kg and That of TRAMAL 0.5mg/kg.

This randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted at Khan Research Laboratory Hospital, Islamabad, from August 2024 to January 2025 after obtaining ethical approval. The objective was to compare the efficacy of intravenous ketamine and intravenous tramadol in preventing shivering among women undergoing elective caesarean section under spinal anaesthesia.

A total of 70 pregnant women aged between 18 and 45 years with ASA physical status II or III and a body mass index between 18 and 35 kg/m² were included after obtaining written informed consent. Patients with contraindications to spinal anaesthesia, significant medical comorbidities, allergy to study drugs, obstetric emergencies, pre-existing bradycardia, hypotension, or refusal to undergo spinal anaesthesia were excluded.

Participants were randomly allocated into two equal groups using a coin-flip randomization method. Standard perioperative preparation and monitoring were performed for all patients. Spinal anaesthesia was administered using hyperbaric bupivacaine through a standard spinal technique. Immediately after delivery of the baby, patients received either intravenous tramadol (0.5 mg/kg) or intravenous ketamine (0.25 mg/kg) according to their assigned study group.

Patients were monitored throughout surgery for the occurrence of shivering using the bedside shivering assessment score. The primary endpoint was efficacy, defined as complete absence of shivering until completion of surgery and wound closure. Secondary outcome measures included the incidence of shivering, onset time of shivering after spinal anaesthesia, and subgroup analyses according to age, BMI, and ASA physical status.

Data were analysed using SPSS version 30. Quantitative variables were summarized using median and interquartile range because data were not normally distributed. Qualitative variables were expressed as frequencies and percentages. Group comparisons were performed using the Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, and Mann-Whitney U test where appropriate. A p-value of ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The baseline demographic characteristics were comparable between the two groups with respect to age, BMI, and ASA status. The incidence of post-spinal anaesthesia shivering was significantly lower in the ketamine group than in the tramadol group. Patients receiving ketamine demonstrated a substantially higher proportion of successful prevention of shivering compared with those receiving tramadol. Furthermore, the onset of shivering was delayed or absent in most patients receiving ketamine. Stratified analyses according to age, BMI, and ASA classification did not demonstrate any significant influence of these variables on treatment efficacy.

The study findings indicate that prophylactic low-dose intravenous ketamine provides superior protection against post-spinal anaesthesia shivering compared with low-dose intravenous tramadol in women undergoing caesarean section under spinal anaesthesia. These results support the use of ketamine as an effective prophylactic agent for reducing intraoperative shivering in obstetric patients and may contribute to improved maternal comfort.