Effect of frozen saline and menthol gum on thirst level after abdominal surgery: A mixed-methods study.
Bahar Aslan, Meral Özkan
PMID 40098536WHAT IT FOUND
After abdominal surgery, frozen saline and menthol gum did not differ in lowering thirst.
Both reduced thirst scores more than the control group. Patients in the intervention groups wanted the application repeated.
Key findings
01Menthol gum thirst scores fell from 7.62 to 4.71, and frozen saline scores fell from 7.24 to 5.16, at 60 minutes after the second intervention.
02Both intervention groups scored lower than the control group at 30 and 60 minutes after each intervention.
03Frozen saline and menthol gum were not superior to each other for thirst quenching.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was done at one hospital, so the results may not apply to all abdominal surgery patients. The pandemic led the authors to include all abdominal surgery patients, and different operations may affect fluid balance. The paper does not report whether patients or researchers were blinded. The methods describe frozen saline as the second intervention in the experimental groups, so the separate contribution of menthol gum is not clear.
Declared interests
The study received no specific grant. The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that one method is better. The two interventions did not differ. Also, the methods describe a second frozen saline application in the experimental groups, so the separate contribution of menthol gum is not clear.