The Effect of Spray Use on Mouth Dryness and Thirst of Patients Undergone Major Abdominal Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Study

The study sample includes patients who had undergone major abdominal surgery induced by upper or lower gastrointestinal system malignancies. The patients who met the inclusion criteria were informed about the purpose of the study and were invited to the study. Those who accepted to participate in the study were included in the study.

Patients who had undergone major abdominal surgery with general anesthesia (induced by upper or lower gastrointestinal system malignancies), who do not have any oral and nasal diseases, who do not have visual, hearing, speech and understanding problems, who were in the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) I and II grades, who were aged 18 or over and agreed to participate in the study were included.

Patients whose mouth and tongue mucosa integrity was degraded, who had a cognitive disorder, or were suffering from neurological, renal, cardiac or pulmonary disorders that could affect the test results, or who use psychoactive drugs were excluded.

The standard anesthesia protocol was implemented to all patients suitable for the study. In the postoperative period, the standard rational dose antibiotic therapy (1st generation cephalosporin + metronidazole), metoclopramide HCL, NSAIDs, LMWH, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), H2-receptor blockers (ranitidine HCL), pethidine HCL 50 mg/ml, when required, and maintenance fluid therapy (Combination of normal saline, lactated Ringer's and Dextrose) by their weight were administered to the patients.

First Control Group: No intervention was performed on the patients in the control group. To prevent ethical violations, patients received routine clinical practice (a small amount of water was administered orally, using a syringe).