Menthol Popsicle to Manage the Elderly Patient's Thirst in the Immediate Postoperative Period

University of Sao Paulo

Status: Completed

Conditions: Thirst

Treatments: Other: Menthol popsicle

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03621800

87689318.4.0000.5393

Details and patient eligibility

About

Thirst is defined as the desire for water seeking and consumption, and is a prevalent symptom in the immediate postoperative period in all age groups. The elderly surgical patient, despite presenting reduced physiological responses to thirst and satiety, in clinical practice, it is observed that they have high thirst intensity. There is evidence that strategies using cold temperatures are effective in quenching thirst of the surgical patient, for this reason, the present study is justified, in order to find strategies that help to reduce thirst in this specific population that is the elderly surgical patient.

Full description

The present study aims to: compare the intensity and discomfort of thirst in the use of the menthol popsicle and usual care in elderly patients in the immediate postoperative period. This is a randomized clinical trial, to be performed in a public tertiary hospital. The sample size calculation will be performed after the pilot test is conducted. Two groups will be formed through randomization. The tested intervention consists of the menthol popsicle (experimental group). Thirst intensity (primary outcome) will be measured by means of the Visual Numerical Scale and the discomfort of thirst (secondary outcome) through the Perioperative Thirst Discomfort Scale, in two moments: at the end of the first assesment of the patient and 20 minutes after the intervention. With the results of this study the intend is to offer to the scientific society subsidies on thirst presented by the elderly patients, generating evidence for the improvement of clinical practice. In addition to contributing to the preparation of health professionals in the assertive care of the elderly population, it is estimated to deepen the knowledge about appropriate and innovative interventions to manage the postoperative thirst of the elderly, considered to be this, a representative and growing part of the world population.

Enrollment: 40 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 60+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Elective Surgeries;
• Aged 60 years and over;
• Being fasting;
• Verbalize thirst;
• Have been approved in the assesment of Safety Protocol of Thirst Management (SPTM)

Exclusion criteria

• Patients with ingestion and swallowing restrictions;
• Patients with self-reported allergy to mint;

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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40 participants in 2 patient groups

Menthol popsicle

Experimental group

Description:

Allocation concealment was performed through the use of individual opaque envelopes numbered externally in sequence, containing the randomly defined group information.This was performed by a researcher who did not participate in the data collection. The intensity of the initial thirst was measured by Visual Numerical Scale (VNS), which ranged from 0 (no thirst) to 10 (very intense thirst) and the discomfort of the initial thirst was measured through the Perioperative Thirst Discomfort Scale (PTDS), which is composed of 7 attributes and ranges from 0 to 14. After 20 minutes of the intervention (menthol popsicle), the final intensity and discomfort were measured using the same scales.

Treatment:

Other: Menthol popsicle

Usual care (maintenance of fasting)

No Intervention group

Description:

When allocated in the control group, the intensity of the initial thirst was measured by Visual Numerical Scale (VNS), which ranged from 0 (no thirst) to 10 (very intense thirst) and the discomfort of the initial thirst was measured through the Perioperative Thirst Discomfort Scale (PTDS), which is composed of 7 attributes and ranges from 0 to 14. After maintaining the usual care, that is, reaffirming the need for absolute fasting of food and drinks for 20 minutes, the final intensity and discomfort were measured using the same scales.