Menthol chewing gum on preoperative thirst management: randomized clinical trial.
Aline Korki Arrabal Garcia, Rejane Kiyomi Furuya, Marilia Ferrari Conchon and 3 others
PMID 31596415WHAT IT FOUND
Menthol chewing gum for ten minutes before elective surgery reduced thirst intensity and discomfort more than usual care.
Nurses can consider it for thirsty preoperative patients while fasting, but how long relief lasted was not measured.
Key findings
01The primary thirst intensity outcome improved more with gum: median change 3 versus 0 (p<0.001).
02Thirst discomfort improved more with gum: median change 5 versus 0 (p<0.001).
03The study did not evaluate how long the gum effect on thirst lasted.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The statistician was kept blind to group, but participant and staff blinding were not reported. The study did not measure how long the gum reduced thirst intensity or discomfort. The exact menthol type in the commercial gum was unknown, and xylitol in the gum may have contributed to the cooling effect. Many surgical patients were excluded, including those with menthol allergy, chewing or swallowing restriction, nausea, vomiting, pain, chronic dry mouth, chronic kidney disease, or communication problems, and ages were limited to 12 to 65 years. It was done in one public university hospital in Paraná, Brazil, so the finding may not apply to all surgical settings.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that menthol gum is safe for all preoperative patients or that its relief lasts until surgery. The trial excluded allergy, chewing or swallowing restriction, nausea, vomiting, pain, chronic dry mouth, kidney disease, and communication problems, and it did not measure how long the effect lasted.