Published online Aug 26, 2019. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v7.i16.2287
Peer-review started: March 15, 2019
First decision: June 19, 2019
Revised: June 25, 2019
Accepted: July 20, 2019
Article in press: July 20, 2019
Published online: August 26, 2019
Processing time: 166 Days and 12 Hours
Perioperative shivering is clinically common during cesarean sections under neuraxial anesthesia, and several neuraxial adjuvants are reported to have preventive effects on it. However, the results of current studies are controversial and the effects of these neuraxial adjuvants remain unclear.
To evaluate the effects of neuraxial adjuvants on perioperative shivering during cesarean sections, thus providing an optimal choice for clinical application.
A systematic review and network meta-analysis were conducted following the PRISMA (Preferred Reported Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis) guidelines. Analyses were performed using Review Manager 5.3 and Stata 14.0. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central databases for eligible clinical trials assessing the effects of neuraxial adjuvants on perioperative shivering and other adverse events during cesarean sections. Perioperative shivering was defined as the primary endpoint, and nausea, vomiting, pruritus, hypotension, and bradycardia were the secondary outcomes.
Twenty-six studies using 9 neuraxial adjuvants for obstetric anesthesia during caesarean sections were included. The results showed that, compared with placebo, pethidine, fentanyl, dexmedetomidine, and sufentanil significantly reduced the incidence of perioperative shivering. Among the four neuraxial adjuvants, pethidine was the most effective one for shivering prevention (OR = 0.15, 95%CI: 0.07-0.35, surface under the cumulative ranking curve 83.9), but with a high incidence of nausea (OR = 3.15, 95%CI: 1.04-9.57) and vomiting (OR = 3.71, 95%CI: 1.81-7.58). The efficacy of fentanyl for shivering prevention was slightly inferior to pethidine (OR = 0.20, 95%CI: 0.09-0.43), however, it significantly decreased the incidence of nausea (OR = 0.34, 95%CI: 0.15-0.79) and vomiting (OR = 0.25, 95%CI: 0.11-0.56). In addition, compared with sufentanil, fentanyl showed no impact on haemodynamic stability and the incidence of pruritus.
Pethidine, fentanyl, dexmedetomidine, and sufentanil appear to be effective for preventing perioperative shivering in puerperae undergoing cesarean sections. Considering the risk-benefit profiles of the included neuraxial adjuvants, fentanyl is probably the optimal choice.
Core tip: Shivering is a common complication of obstetric anaesthesia, especially during caesarean section. Recently, several neuraxial adjuvants have been used for the prevention of shivering. However, the results of current studies are controversial and the role of these adjuvants in obstetric anesthesia remains unclear. The aim of our network meta-analysis is to evaluate the effects of neuraxial adjuvants on shivering and other side effects, thus providing an optimal choice for clinical application.