Anesthesiology
-
Biography Historical Article
Henry K. Beecher: the introduction of anesthesia into the university.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Physostigmine prevents postanesthetic shivering as does meperidine or clonidine.
Postanesthetic shivering develops in as many as one half of patients recovering from isoflurane anesthesia. Cholinergic stimulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and adrenal medulla by physostigmine enhances secretion of arginine vasopressin, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. Because the hypothalamus is the dominant thermoregulatory controller in mammals, and these neurotransmitters may be involved in body temperature control, physostigmine administration may influence the incidence of shivering. Accordingly, the authors tested the hypothesis that physostigmine administration inhibits postanesthetic shivering. Its efficacy was compared with that of saline (negative control) and meperidine and clonidine (positive controls). ⋯ Physostigmine inhibited shivering as well as did two established treatments, meperidine and clonidine. These data suggest that cholinergic systems contribute to the genesis and control of postanesthetic shivering.