Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Surg. Mar 27, 2025; 17(3): 100185
Published online Mar 27, 2025. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v17.i3.100185
Enhanced recovery after surgery-based evidence-based care plus ice stimulation for thirst management in convalescent patients following digestive surgery under general anesthesia
Li Chen, Bi-Xi Li, Qiu-Zhi Gan, Rui-Ge Guo, Xing Chen, Xi Shen, Yan Chen
Li Chen, Qiu-Zhi Gan, Rui-Ge Guo, Xing Chen, Xi Shen, Department of Anesthesiology, Hankou Medical District, Central War Zone General Hospital, Wuhan 430010, Hubei Province, China
Bi-Xi Li, Department of Anesthesiology, Central Theater General Hospital, Wuhan 430010, Hubei Province, China
Yan Chen, Department of Anesthesiology, Central War Zone General Hospital, Wuhan 430010, Hubei Province, China
Author contributions: Chen L designed the research and wrote the first manuscript; Chen L, Li BX and Gan QZ contributed to conceiving the research and analyzing data; Li Chen, Guo RG, Chen X and Shen X conducted the analysis; Li Chen and Chen Y provided guidance for the research; all authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Ethic Committee of Central War Zone General Hospital.
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: There is no conflict of interest.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Yan Chen, Department of Anesthesiology, Central War Zone General Hospital, No. 627 Wuluo Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan 430010, Hubei Province, China. 13871482186@163.com
Received: October 31, 2024
Revised: December 12, 2024
Accepted: January 13, 2025
Published online: March 27, 2025
Processing time: 115 Days and 18.6 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Thirst management in convalescent patients recovering from a digestive surgery performed under general anesthesia requires attention. A simple, practical, and safe method can effectively relieve thirst symptoms in such patients.

AIM

To evaluate the enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS)-based evidence-based care (EBC) plus ice stimulation therapy for thirst management of convalescent patients following digestive surgery performed under general anesthesia.

METHODS

A total of 191 patients convalescing after digestive surgery performed under general anesthesia between March 2020 and February 2023 and experiencing thirst were selected. In total, 89 patients and 102 patients in the control and research groups received routine care and ERAS-based EBC plus ice stimulation therapy, respectively. The following data were comparatively analyzed: (1) Thirst degree (thirst intensity numerical rating scale) and thirst distress (TD) degree (TD scale); (2) Oral mucosal wetness; (3) Unstimulated whole salivary flow rate (UWSFR); (4) Adverse reactions (palpitation, fatigue, chapped lips, and nausea and vomiting); and (5) Nursing satisfaction.

RESULTS

After nursing, thirst degree and distress were statistically lower in the research group than in the control group. Additionally, compared with the control group, the research group exhibited a lower degree of oral mucosal wetness, higher UWSFR, fewer adverse reactions, and more total nursing satisfaction.

CONCLUSION

ERAS-based EBC plus ice stimulation therapy can effectively alleviate thirst in convalescent patients recovering from a digestive surgery performed under general anesthesia. It can alleviate xerostomia symptoms, reduce adverse reactions, and improve patient comfort.

Keywords: Enhanced recovery after surgery; Evidence-based care; Ice stimulation therapy; Convalescent patients; Digestive surgery; General anesthesia; Thirst

Core Tip: After a digestive surgery performed under general anesthesia, thirst management in patients during the recovery phase requires great attention because patients who underwent such surgical procedures typically require an extended duration to revert to feasible and normal water consumption. This study aims to analyze the application of evidence-based care (EBC), based on enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS), in conjunction with ice stimulation therapy, to address thirst management in convalescent patients who underwent digestive surgery under general anesthesia. A comprehensive analysis was performed to investigate various factors including degree of thirst, degree of thirst distress, wetness of the oral mucosa, unstimulated whole salivary flow rate, adverse reactions, and nursing satisfaction. Reportedly, ERAS-based EBC plus ice stimulation therapy effectively alleviated thirst severity experienced by patients convalescing after a digestive surgery performed under general anesthesia, ameliorated xerostomia symptoms, diminished adverse reactions, and augmented patient comfort. Moreover, the study furnished valuable clinical evidence concerning the prophylaxis and thirst treatment after digestive surgery under general anesthesia.