The operating room environment is deliberately kept cool.When the nurse assesses the patient in the post anesthesia care unit,the patient is shivering.The nurse needs to understand that shivering may do which of the following?

A) Be a side effect of anesthesia.
B) Indicate a problem of the hypothalamus.
C) Indicate the beginning of the infectious process.
D) Be a normal response to stabilize blood pressure.

The operating room environment is cool,and the patient's depressed level of body function results in a lowering of metabolism and fall in body temperature.When patients begin to awaken,they often complain of feeling cold and uncomfortable.Shivering is not always a sign of hypothermia,but rather a side effect of certain anesthetic agents.If a patient develops a fever,notify the surgeon immediately.The chances of the shivering being a problem with the hypothalamus,indicating infection (such as fever with sepsis)are very low in this case.