Focal hand warming for post-anaesthesia shivering control: A simple and safe non-pharmacological approach in resource limited-area

Abstract

Post-anaesthesia shivering is a common complication and has multiple deleterious effects. Sometimes multiple non-pharmacological interventions applied together may not control post-anaesthesia shivering adequately, necessitating the use of drugs in some cases. Hand warming is commonly used to warm up the body since time immemorial but its role in preventing post-anaesthesia shivering has not been evaluated. This case series describes the application of this simple and safe method of focal hand warming along with other non-pharmacological measures to suppress post-anaesthesia shivering, whereby possible use of drugs could be avoided.

Keywords

• hand warming
• non-pharmacological
• post-anaesthesia
• post-operative
• shivering