Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthésie
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Intravenous meperidine for control of shivering during caesarean section under epidural anaesthesia.
To determine the efficacy of meperidine in controlling shivering during epidural anaesthesia for Caesarean section, forty-six parturients were studied. After delivery of the infant, shivering patients received either a single dose of intravenous meperidine 50 mg, or saline in a randomized double-blind fashion. Shivering was classified on a scale of 0 to 3 (grade 0 = none, grade 3 = severe shivering that was distressing to the patient and interfered with monitoring). ⋯ The incidence of nausea was similar, although patients receiving meperidine were more drowsy at two and five minutes following injection (p less than 0.01) compared with patients in the saline group. There were no differences in level of consciousness at the later intervals. The mechanism of action of meperidine on shivering remains to be elucidated.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Epidural analgesia with a bupivacaine-fentanyl mixture in obstetrics: comparison of repeated injections and continuous infusion.
We compared the efficacy and side-effects of continuous infusion versus repeated injections of epidural bupivacaine-fentanyl during labour. Forty-four parturients were randomly distributed into two groups balanced for population size, morphology and parity. Analgesia was begun at the same stage of labour with a mixture of 20 ml 0.25 per cent plain bupivacaine and 2 ml (100 micrograms) fentanyl. ⋯ The course of labour, and maternal and neonatal status were comparable in the two groups. Assays showed no difference in bupivacaine blood concentrations between the two groups nor signs of drug accumulation. The constant infusion technique is advantageous since it provides a more regular degree of analgesia with lower doses than those required for patients having repeated injections.