Journal Article

Droperidol lowers the shivering threshold in rabbits

Keiichi Wada, Kenji Muroya, Masakazu Kotoda, Kenta Ueda, Takashi Matsukawa, Tadahiko Ishiyama

2023

Overview

Purpose Perioperative shivering is common and can occur as a result of hypothermia or changes in the threshold of thermoregulation. Droperidol usage for anesthesia is currently limited to its sedative and antiemetic effects. We investigated the effects of high and low doses of droperidol on the shivering threshold in rabbits. Methods Forty-two male Japanese white rabbits were anesthetized with isoflurane and randomly assigned to the control, high-dose, or low-dose group. Rabbits in the high-dose group received a 5 mg/kg droperidol bolus followed by continuous infusion at 5 mg/kg/h, those in the low-dose group received a 0.5 mg/kg droperidol bolus, and those in the control group received the same volume of saline as the high-dose group. Body temperature was reduced at a rate of 2–3 °C/h, and the shivering threshold was defined as the subject’s core temperature (°C) at the onset of shivering. Results The shivering thresholds in the control, high-dose, and low-dose groups were 38.1 °C ± 1.1 °C, 36.7 °C ± 1.2 °C, and 36.9 °C ± 1.0 °C, respectively. The shivering thresholds were significantly lower in the high-dose and low-dose groups than in the control group ( P  < 0.01). The thresholds were comparable between the high-dose and low-dose groups. Conclusions Droperidol in high and low doses effectively reduced the shivering threshold in rabbits. Droperidol has been used in low doses as an antiemetic. Low doses of droperidol can reduce the incidence of shivering perioperatively and during the induction of therapeutic hypothermia.

• Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC,Springer Nature Singapore,Springer,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Anesthesia / Anesthesiology / Animals / Body Temperature / Body Temperature - physiology / Critical Care Medicine / Dexmedetomidine / Droperidol / Droperidol - pharmacology / Emergency Medicine / Health aspects / Hypothermia / Hypothermia - drug therapy / Intensive / Isoflurane / Isoflurane - pharmacology / Male / Medicine / Medicine & Public Health / Original Article / Pain Medicine / Palonosetron / Rabbits / Shivering / Shivering - physiology