Background: Spinal anesthesia is a common method for elective cesarean sections; however, complications such as shivering and nausea may affect postoperative recovery quality. Bupivacaine is a standard drug used in this procedure, but its combination with opioids like sufentanil may have beneficial effects in reducing these complications. This study aimed to compare the incidence of shivering and nausea in women undergoing elective cesarean section who received either bupivacaine alone or a bupivacaine-sufentanil combination.
Methods: The present study was a double-blind randomized clinical trial conducted over a 6-month period from April 2021 to October 2021 on 30 patients undergoing elective cesarean section with spinal anesthesia at Motahari Hospital in Jahrom city. Patients were randomly assigned using a random number table into two groups: bupivacaine alone and bupivacaine-sufentanil combination. The frequency of nausea, vomiting, and shivering was recorded at different time points: before spinal anesthesia, after spinal anesthesia, 3 minutes before delivery, immediately after delivery, at 15, 30, and 45 minutes, upon recovery room admission, and upon discharge from recovery. The data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics indicators (frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistical tests (t-test, Mann-Whitney, chi-square and Friedman) using SPSS software version 21. A significance level of p < 0.05 was considered.
Results: In the bupivacaine-sufentanil group, the highest frequency of shivering occurred at 30 minutes post-spinal anesthesia (20%) and upon recovery room admission (26.7%). In the bupivacaine-alone group, the highest frequency was observed upon recovery room admission (33.3%) and at discharge from recovery (26.7%). The highest nausea frequency was 33.3% in the bupivacaine-sufentanil group and 40% in the bupivacaine group at 3 minutes before delivery. However, no statistically significant difference was found between the two groups at different time points.
Conclusion: The present study showed that adding low-dose sufentanil to bupivacaine in spinal anesthesia protocols, while potentially having minor clinical effects on certain complications, did not lead to a significant difference in the incidence of shivering and nausea. Therefore, for more precise clinical decision-making regarding drug combinations in regional anesthesia, further studies with larger sample sizes and different drug dosages are recommended.