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Intrathecal morphine can produce hypothermia in animals. This side effect has been reported in humans, but has not been thoroughly studied in obstetrics.

We report a series of 14 patients with presumed morphine-induced hypothermia. All patients had post-cesarean temperatures <35.8°C, and complained of associated symptoms of diaphoresis and subjective feeling of being hot. After collecting this series, we determined the incidence of this side effect in an observational study of 100 consecutive patients. All patients had spinal anesthesia with bupivacaine, morphine and fentanyl.

In the case series, four of 14 patients were treated conservatively, and 10 were given lorazepam. Those treated conservatively had 6h of hypothermia and symptoms; women given lorazepam had a cessation of symptoms and a rapid increase in temperature. In the observational study, 6% (95 …