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Completed

NCT Number: NCT02149394

Ice Popsicle for Thirst Relief of the Surgical Patient

The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of ice popsicle compared with water at room temperature in relieving thirst in the immediate postoperative period . The hypothesis of the study is that ice has 20% greater efficacy than water to relieve thirst in the immediate postoperative period.

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Key information

Conditions

Thirst

Age range

18 year–65 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University hospital - State University of Londrina

Londrina, Paraná, 86038-440, Brazil

About this study

There is evidence that ice is effective in relieving thirst in surgical patients, because, by stimulating the oral receptors sensitive to cold, ice decreases the need to ingest large volumes of liquids to satisfy thirst. This way, the risk of bronchoaspiration due to gastric fullness is avoided and discomfort with dry mouth is reduced. Preliminary evidence, therefore, indicates that the use of ice chips have greater efficacy than water at room temperature in relieving thirst. However, there is no scientific evidence from controlled studies with results that can be generalized with respect to a safe volume and adequate frequency of ice administered to reduce thirst in the immediate postoperative period.Considering that the gold standard for the study of a symptom is based on individuals' perceptions and their reports, this study is justified in order to assess the effectiveness of ice compared with water at room temperature in relieving thirst in the immediate postoperative period.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • aged between 18 and 65 years;
  • undergoing more than eight-hour preoperative fasting;
  • expressing thirst spontaneously or stimulated with intensity greater than or equal to three according to the numeric visual analogue scale;
  • receiving opioids or anticholinergics during surgery;
  • duration of anesthesia exceeding one hour;
  • having been approved in the assessment by the Safety Protocol of Thirst Management;
  • signing the informed consent during the preoperative period.

Exclusion criteria

  • patients who had intake or swallowing restrictions.

Treatment and study plan

Ice popsicle

Other

Patients were assessed according to the following criteria before each intervention: level of awareness; airway protection capacity; and absence of nausea and vomiting, according to the Safety Protocol for Thirst Management. The experimental group received an ice popsicle made of 10 mL mineral water.

The ice popsicles were made according to the predetermined volumes and packed in the freezer of the anesthetic recovery room at the institution researched. The block of ice were supported by a stick, allowing the patients to control the intensity of cold conferred by the ice for their comfort.

Water at room temperature

Other

Patients were assessed according to the following criteria before each intervention: level of awareness; airway protection capacity; and absence of nausea and vomiting, according to the Safety Protocol for Thirst Management. The usual activities adopted by the nursing staff of the anesthetic recovery room were maintained for the control group that received 10 mL mineral water at room temperature in a syringe.

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in the intensity of the final thirst assessment with respect to the initial thirst assessment.

    Time frame: 1 hour

    5 evaluations of thirst intensity every 15 minutes during the first hour postoperatively.

    Thirst intensity was measured within the range from 1 to 10 in 1.0 intervals as reported by patients when orally required "how thirsty are you now?"according to the visual analogue scale. Zero means not thirsty at all and ten the worst thirst sensation that the patient have ever had.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Reaching the point of satiety over one-hour assessment presented by the experimental and control groups.

    Time frame: 1 hour

    5 evaluations of thirst intensity and satiety every 15 minutes during the first hour postoperatively. Thirst intensity was measured within the range from 1 to 10 in 1.0 intervals as reported by patients when orally required "how thirsty are you now?"according to the visual analogue scale. Zero means not thirsty at all and ten the worst thirst sensation that the patient have ever had.according to the visual analogue scale. Satiety was characterized as intensity of thirst = zero (0).

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Universidade Estadual de Londrina

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Efficacy of Ice Popsicle in the Management of Thirst in the Immediate Postoperative Period: Randomized Clinical Trial

Important dates

Study start
2013
Primary completion
2013
Study completion
2013
First posted
May 29, 2014
Registry last updated
May 29, 2014

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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