Perioperative thirst: an analysis from the perspective of the Symptom Management Theory

The Effect of Menthol Ice on Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Patients' Thirst, Dry Mouth, Mouth Taste, and Bad Mouth Odor: A Randomized Controlled Trial

PURPOSE

This study aimed to determine the effect of menthol ice application on thirst, dry mouth, mouth taste, and bad mouth odor in patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the postoperative period.

DESIGN

The study was conducted as a randomized controlled trial with an experimental design.

METHODS

The study sample consisted of 90 patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy and met the inclusion criteria. Patients were divided into three groups by randomization program. Patients in the menthol ice and ice popsicle (ice prepared with drinking water only) group were administered menthol ice/ice popsicle (10 mL) twice at 20 minutes intervals. Patients in the control group did not receive any intervention. Routine practices of the clinic were performed by the nurses of the general surgery clinic. Postoperative thirst intensity, severity of dry mouth, bad taste, and bad odor in the mouth were evaluated at 0, 20, and 40 minutes.

FINDINGS

No statistically significant difference was found between the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the patients in the control group, menthol ice group, and ice popsicle group (P > .05). A statistically significant difference was found between the 3 groups in terms of thirst intensity and severity of dry mouth at times at the 20th and 40th minutes after the application (P < .01). We found a statistically significant difference between the bad taste and bad odor sensation scores of the patients in the control and intervention groups at the 20th and 40th minutes after the application (P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

The study concluded that menthol ice and ice popsicle application are effective strategies to reduce the intensity of thirst, severity of dry mouth, bad taste, and bad odor in postoperative patients.

The Effect of Cold Oral Applications in the Management of Postoperative Thirst: A Systematic Review

PURPOSE

Thirst is one of the most bothersome symptoms experienced by surgical patients. Effective thirst intervention and management in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) and hospital wards is critical because patients are less sedated and more aware than in the past. There is a need to review the literature on the identification and management of thirst in the inpatient and PACU settings. The aim of this systematic review was to examine the available evidence on the effectiveness of oral cold applications on thirst in postoperative patients.

DESIGN

This was a systematic review study. Articles in PUBMED, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, TÜBİTAK-ULAKBİM, and TRDizin databases between January 2008 and January 2023 that included oral cold applications to relieve the thirst of patients in the postoperative period were included.

METHODS

The PICOT-SD (Patients Interventions Comparison Outcome Time-Study Design) method was used as an eligibility criterion for inclusion in the study. The eligibility criteria included that the articles were written in English-Turkish and within the target dates, the studies included nursing interventions, the primary outcome of the studies was thirst, and the study sample included postoperative patients. The risk of bias was assessed using the RoB2 tool developed by Cochrane.

FINDINGS

A total of 254 articles were retrieved from the databases using the specified keywords. 244 articles did not meet the study criteria: 30 were excluded because they were not interventional studies, 61 were not conducted in a postoperative population, 56 were duplicates, and 79 were not on a related topic. A total of 10 studies consisting of randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental articles met the criteria for our review. Oral cold applications effectively reduced the thirst rate of postoperative patients and improved their health-related quality of life. The intervention has also been shown to reduce other anesthesia-related complications.

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic review concluded that cold oral applications have promising effects on thirst, dry mouth, and health-related quality of life. Cold oral applications are cost-effective and suitable for large-scale health care applications.

The Prevalence and Risk Factors for Postoperative Thirst: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

PURPOSE

Thirst is a symptom of dehydration and one of the main complications affecting postoperative outcomes and comfort. Persistent water scarcity can have a detrimental effect on the cognitive function and psychology of patients. However, the current evidence about the prevalence and risk factors for postoperative thirst is not fully understood. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of postoperative thirst and provide guidance for clinical practice.

DESIGN

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, Clinicaltrials.gov, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Database. Eligible studies were evaluated using the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The collected data were pooled and analyzed using Stata15.0.

FINDINGS

A total of 11 cross-sectional studies were included involving 20,612 patients. Eight studies reported prevalence and the pooled prevalence of postoperative thirst was 76.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.664 to 0.858). Five studies contributed to meta-syntheses of risk factors for postoperative thirst. The results indicated that sex (odds ratio [OR] = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.13 to 1.84, I2 = 80.2%, P = .006), anesthesia drug (OR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.06 to 2.06, I2 = 94.8%, P < .001), surgical type (OR = 0.66, 95% CI = 0.49 to 0.9, I2 = 77.9%, P = .004) were statistically associated with postoperative thirst.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study shows a high prevalence of postoperative thirst. Sex, anesthesia drug, and surgical type are risk factors that influence postoperative thirst. Nurses and other health care professionals should routinely assess the postoperative thirst of patients and perform targeted interventions to alleviate their distressing symptoms and improve the quality of care.

Development of the Thirst Discomfort Scale: A Validity and Reliability Study

BACKGROUND

Thirst is a sensation associated with a dry mouth and the desire or craving to drink water. Surgical patients are among those hospitalized individuals who are at high risk of developing both osmotic and hypovolemic thirst.

OBJECTIVES

To develop a new measurement tool for evaluating the thirst-related discomfort of surgical patients and to assess its validity and reliability.

METHODS

The study population consisted of patients admitted to the surgical clinics of a research hospital in Turkey between January and March 2022. The new measurement tool was developed in several stages: a pilot implementation phase with 51 patients and the main implementation phase with 198 patients. Data were collected by means of face-to-face interviews with patients. Exploratory factor and confirmatory factor analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics, version 22, and IBM SPSS Amos.

RESULTS

The final Thirst Discomfort Scale consisted of 12 items in 3 subdimensions. The Cronbach α values of the scale subdimensions ranged from 0.787 to 0.848, and the Cronbach α value for the scale as a whole was 0.886. The scale explained 66.237% of the total variance of the data.

CONCLUSION

The Thirst Discomfort Scale consisting of 12 items and 3 subdimensions is a valid and reliable measurement tool for evaluating thirst-related discomfort of surgical patients.

Effect of menthol lozenges after extubation on thirst, nausea, physiological parameters, and comfort in cardiovascular surgery patients: A randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVES

To determine the effect of post-extubation oral menthol lozenges on thirst, nausea, physiological parameters, and comfort level in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY/DESIGN

The study was a single-centre, randomized controlled trial.

SETTING

This study included 119 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery in a training and research hospital. Patients in the intervention group (n = 59) received menthol lozenges at 30, 60, and 90 min after extubation. Patients in the control group (n = 60) received standard care and treatment.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The primary outcome of the study was the change in post-extubation thirst assessed by Visual Analogue Scale after using menthol lozenges compared to baseline. Secondary outcomes were changes in post-extubation physiological parameters and nausea severity assessed by Visual Analogue Scale compared to baseline, and comfort level assessed with Shortened General Comfort Questionnaire.

RESULTS

Between-group comparisons showed that the intervention group had significantly lower thirst scores at all time points and nausea at the first assessment (p < 0.05) and significantly higher comfort scores (p < 0.05) than the control group. There were no significant differences between the groups in physiological parameters at baseline or any of the postoperative assessments (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

In patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery, the use of menthol lozenges effectively increased comfort level by reducing post-extubation thirst and nausea, but had no effect on physiological parameters.

IMPLICATIONS FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE

Nurses should be vigilant for complaints such as thirst, nausea, and discomfort in patients after extubation. Nurses' administration of menthol lozenges to patients may help reduce post-extubation thirst, nausea, and discomfort.

Prevalence of and risk factors for thirst in the intensive care unit: An observational study

AIM AND OBJECTIVES

This study investigated the incidence of thirst and contributing factors in intensive care unit (ICU) patients by analysing differences in physiologic, psychological, and disease- and environment-related parameters in ICU patients with vs without thirst.

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the factors that influence thirst, and there are no standardised methods for identifying at-risk patients in the ICU. Previous studies generalised the risk of thirst in ICU patients because of a lack of data on relevant variables. Here, we examined the factors contributing to thirst based on symptom management theory.

DESIGN

Prospective descriptive design.

METHODS

Physiologic, psychological, disease-related and environment-related data were collected for 301 patients from 4 ICUs (medical, surgical, cardiac and emergency ICUs) of a hospital from 15 December 2017-10 July 2019 through a screening interview, questionnaires and from electronic medical records. The data were analysed with descriptive statistics, the t-test and chi-squared test, and by logistic regression. Binary stepwise logistic regression was used to identify thirst-associated factors. The findings are reported according to the STROBE checklist for cross-sectional studies.

RESULTS

In total, 210/301 (69.8%) ICU patients experienced thirst. Risk factors were nil per os order (odds ratio [OR] = 4.10, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.44-11.69), surgery (OR = 2.96, 95% CI: 1.11-7.93), high glucose (OR = 3.36, 95% CI: 1.01-11.17) and greater disease severity (OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.02-1.24).

CONCLUSION

Thirst is common in ICU patients. Timely detection of patients' thirst and identification of those at high risk by ICU nurses can ensure the implementation of effective and safe interventions.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

The results of this study highlight the need to evaluate thirst symptoms in patients with severe disease and develop relief strategies for fasting, perioperative, and hyperglycaemic patients and others who are at high risk of thirst.

Symptom management theory applied to nursing care: scoping review

OBJECTIVES

to identify publications about the applicability of the Symptom Management Theory in nursing care to pediatric, adolescent, adult and elderly patients.

METHODS

scoping review following the steps: definition of the objective, research question and inclusion criteria; search, selection and analysis of publications; synthesis of results. The search occurred in the VHL, SciELO, CAPES and PubMed Journals Portal bases, contemplating publications between 1994 and July 2020.

RESULTS

out of 3,286 studies, ten were selected, published between 2008 and 2019. They described the relationships between the participants and the domains (person, environment, health and disease), components (symptom experience, management strategies, results) and presented strategies for symptom management.

CONCLUSIONS

the Symptom Management Theory was considered applicable to the participants of the studies and to nursing care. It was concluded that understanding the interaction of these elements is essential to plan actions aimed at controlling symptoms effectively.

Development and validation of a new nursing diagnosis: Perioperative thirst

PURPOSE

To develop and validate the content of the nursing diagnosis proposal for perioperative thirst.

METHODS

A content analysis by 34 judges. An online Delphi panel was used in one round, evaluating criteria of relevance, clarity and precision. Wilcoxon's one-tailed test was used and the content validity index to maintain the item was set to 0.80.

FINDINGS

The content validity index in relation to the evaluated items reached levels between 0.87-1.00. The final components of the diagnosis proposal included the following items as defining characteristics: dry mouth, dry throat, dry lips, thick saliva, thick tongue, constant swallowing of saliva, desire to drink water, bad taste in the mouth, and caregiver's report. Related factors are as follows: pre- and postoperative fasting, oral breathing, dehydration, hypovolemia, insensitive loss of hydration by breathing, dry mouth, habit of drinking water, high room temperature. Associated conditions: intubation, use of muscarinic and nicotinic anticholinergics and water restriction.

CONCLUSIONS

All components of the nursing diagnosis were validated in relation to relevance, clarity, and accuracy, demonstrating high levels of agreement between experts. Qualitative observations were found to be fundamental for both combining and excluding some items.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

Improvement of refinement and clarity levels of this nursing diagnosis proposal aiding its inclusion in the NANDA International taxonomy and thus enabling greater understanding of the phenomenon of thirst in surgical patients. This study helps to explain and facilitate the identification of defining characteristics, related factors, and associated conditions for nurses, nursing students, and researchers on this subject.

Concept analysis of Perioperative Thirst for the development of a new nursing diagnosis

OBJECTIVES

to analyze the perioperative thirst concept for the development of a new diagnostic structure according to NANDA International.

METHODS

a concept analysis study based on the framework proposed by Walker and Avant, instrumentalized through an integrative literature review based on SCOPUS, CINAHL, PUBMED, LILACS, and WOS. The elaboration of the diagnostic structure followed NANDA International guidelines.

RESULTS

41 studies were analyzed revealing that perioperative thirst is prevalent and intense, having visceral and behavioral attributes as the core of the concept. Antecedents indicate that surgical patients are vulnerable to thirst; and consequents 16 signs and symptoms were organized and model cases were developed. A diagnostic structure has been developed for perioperative thirst.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

concept analysis allowed language standardization that describes thirsty patients, helping the identification, planning of actions and communication of perioperative nursing care.

Prevalence, risk factors, and optimized management of moderate-to-severe thirst in the post-anesthesia care unit

Post-operative thirst is common and may cause intense patient discomfort. The aims of this retrospective study conducted in a high-volume post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) were as follows: (1) to examine the prevalence of moderate-to-severe post-operative thirst—defined as a numerical rating scale (NRS) score of 4 or higher, (2) to identify the main risk factors for moderate-to-severe post-operative thirst, and (3) to maximize the efficacy and safety of thirst management through a quality improvement program. During a 1-month quality improvement program conducted in August 2018, a total of 1211 adult patients admitted to our PACU were examined. Moderate-to-severe thirst was identified in 675 cases (55.8%). The use of glycopyrrolate during anesthesia was associated with moderate-to-severe thirst (71.7% versus 66.4%, respectively, p = 0.047; adjusted odds ratio: 1.46, p = 0.013). Following a safety assessment, ice cubes, room temperature water, or an oral moisturizer were offered to patients. A generalized estimating equation model revealed that ice cubes were the most effective means for thirst management—resulting in an estimated thirst intensity reduction of 0.93 NRS points at each 15-min interval assessment (p < 0.001)—followed by room temperature water (− 0.92/time-point, p < 0.001) and the oral moisturizer (− 0.60/time-point; p < 0.001). Patient satisfaction (rated from 1 [definitely dissatisfied] to 5 [very satisfied]) followed a similar pattern (ice cubes: 4.22 ± 0.58; room temperature water: 4.08 ± 0.55; oral moisturizer: 3.90 ± 0.55, p < 0.001). The use of glycopyrrolate—an anticholinergic agent that reduces salivary secretion—was the main independent risk factor for moderate-to-severe post-operative thirst. Our findings may provide clues towards an optimized management of thirst in the immediate post-operative period.

Evaluation of a Safety Protocol for the Management of Thirst in the Postoperative Period

PURPOSE

To associate medications, anesthetic techniques, and clinical conditions that interfere in the time of patient approval in the safety protocol for thirst management.

DESIGN

A quantitative, analytical, and longitudinal study conducted in Southern Brazil.

METHODS

A nonprobabilistic sample, of 203 adult patients in the immediate postoperative period, evaluated every 15 minutes for 1 hour.

FINDINGS

A general prevalence of thirst of 67.7%, and mean intensity of 6.38. Fentanyl, morphine, rocuronium, and sevoflurane increased lack of approval in the protocol within 30 minutes (P < .05). General anesthesia (P < .0001) and level of consciousness (95.4%) presented the highest nonapproval rates.

CONCLUSIONS

Anesthetics and general anesthesia delayed protocol approval; however, after 30 minutes, 75.4% of patients had been approved. Level of consciousness was the main criterion of disapproval. The protocol identified crucial clinical conditions that made it impossible for the patient to receive thirst relief strategies and demonstrated that thirst can be satiated precociously with safety.

Menthol chewing gum on preoperative thirst management: randomized clinical trial

Objective

to evaluate the effectiveness of menthol chewing gum, in the relief of the intensity and discomfort of the surgical patient’s thirst in the preoperative period.

Method

a randomized controlled trial, with 102 patients in the preoperative period, randomized in a control group, with usual care, and an experimental group, which received menthol gum, which was the study treatment variable. The primary clinical outcome was the variation in thirst intensity, evaluated by the Numeral Verbal Scale, and the secondary, the variation of the discomfort of thirst, evaluated by the Perioperative Thirst Discomfort Scale. Mann-Whitney test was used to compare measures between groups. The significance level adopted was of 0.05.

Results

menthol chewing gum significantly reduced the intensity (p <0.001), with Cohen’s medium-effect d, and thirst discomfort (p <0.001), with a large-effect Cohen’s d.

Conclusion

menthol chewing gum was effective in reducing the intensity and discomfort of preoperative thirst. The strategy proved to be an innovative, feasible and safe option in the use for the surgical patient, in the management of the preoperative thirst, in elective surgeries. NCT: 03200197.

Package of menthol measures for thirst relief: a randomized clinical study

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the menthol package (lip hydration and ice popsicles) compared to a package of non-menthol measures (lip hydration and ice popsicles) as a way to relieve thirst in patients in the Anesthetic Recovery Room. Method: Randomized and parallel trial study, with 120 patients randomized patients in an experimental group - menthol measurements (n=59) and control group - measures without menthol (n = 61). Results: There was a significant (p<0.05) decrease in intensity, hydration, dryness and taste in the oral cavity between the three moments of assessment/intervention in the two groups. The difference was significant in the experimental group for thirst intensity at the second assessment/intervention point (p<0.05) after a single administration of the menthol package. Conclusion: There was a reduction in thirst intensity in both groups. Patients who received menthol packages showed a significant decrease in intensity after a single evaluation/intervention time. NCT: 02869139.

Clinical trial for the control of water intake of patients undergoing hemodialysis treatment

Objective:

to analyze the impact of an educational and motivational intervention for patients with a chronic kidney disease, undergoing hemodialysis treatment, on the control of fluid intake during interdialytic periods.

Method:

a quasi-experimental, non-randomized clinical trial with patients from a Nephrological Unit of the State of São Paulo. Participants were included in two groups: Control Group with 106 patients and Intervention Group with 86 patients, totaling 192 participants. The used intervention was an educational and motivational video to control liquid intake, based on the Bandura’s Theory. The measure of control of water intake was the percentage of lost weight, also considered the variable outcome of the research. For the data analysis, descriptive analyses and regression analysis of the Inflated Beta Model were used.

Results:

patients who participated in the intervention had a decrease in the pattern of weight gain in interdialytic periods, with a 3.54 times more chance of reaching the goal of 100% of weight loss when compared to participants from the control group.

Conclusion:

the educational and motivational intervention was effective in reducing the percentage of weight loss in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Brazilian Clinical Trials Registry (ReBEC) under the opinion RBR-4XYTP6.