Is this the time for Magnesium sulfate to replace Meperidine as an antishivering agent in spinal anesthesia?

Background & AimShivering is one of the serious complications during spinal anesthesia. Mepreidine is considered the most common drug used for control of shivering. The aim of this study is to detect if Magnesium sulfate can replace Mepreidine, in the prevention of shivering in patients undergoing spinal anesthesia during knee arthroscopy.MethodsThe study included 50 patients scheduled for elective knee arthroscopy, aged 20–50 years under spinal anesthesia. The patients were randomly divided into two equal groups. Patients in Group (M) (n = 25) received single intravenous bolus dose of Meperidine 0.5 mg/kg while patients in group (Mg) (n = 25) received intravenous (IV) MgSO4 in a dose of 50 mg/kg over 20 min followed by 0.5 mg/kg/min both. The both test drugs were administered after establishment of spinal anesthesia. The incidence and severity of shivering were recorded during the operation and in the recovery room.ResultsShivering occurred in 68% of patients in group (M) when compared to group (Mg) where only 28% suffered from shivering. This difference in % was found to be statistically significant. Regarding the complications, local allergy significantly occurred in group (M) in five patients when compare to one patient in group (Mg). There was no significant difference between group (M) and group (Mg) regarding the body core temperature.ConclusionMgSO4 was found to be an effective way for the control shivering and it could replace Meperidine in middle age patients under spinal anesthesia.