Thirst in critical patients and its associated factors.
Laura Vicentim Berbert, Isadora Pierotti, Leonel Alves do Nascimento and 5 others
PMID 40072990WHAT IT FOUND
Forty-six of 60 ICU patients had thirst, averaging 7.2 out of 10, with dry lips, thick saliva, and desire to drink water common.
Longer fluid restriction and hospital stay tracked with greater discomfort; medications and prior ventilation did not.
Key findings
01Thirst was common and severe: 46 of 60 ICU patients had thirst, mean intensity was 7.2 out of 10, and mean discomfort was 7.3 out of 14.
02The most common thirst signs were thick saliva in 80% of patients, constant swallowing of saliva in 76.7%, desire to drink water in 75%, dry lips in 73.3%, and dry throat in 70%.
03Thirst discomfort was associated with longer oral fluid restriction and longer hospital stay, while medication use and prior mechanical ventilation did not show significant associations with thirst presence.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was non-probabilistic and came from one hospital, so the results may not apply to other ICU populations. The study included only patients who could orient and verbalize thirst, and excluded patients on mechanical ventilation or tracheostomy, so it says little about the most impaired critically ill patients. The oral mucosa scale was judged by a single researcher without peer evaluation, making that part subjective. The cross-sectional design cannot prove that fluid restriction or hospital stay caused thirst. The thirst discomfort scale was originally developed for surgical patients, and the paper notes limited prior ICU comparison.
Declared interests
The supplied metadata lists non-U.S. government research support. No author conflict-of-interest declaration is included in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat the 76.7% thirst prevalence as applying to all ICU patients. The study excluded patients on mechanical ventilation or tracheostomy and included only oriented patients who could verbalize thirst.