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The Effects of Menthol and Cold Spray Applications on Thirst and Comfort in Bariatric Surgery

The Effect of Menthol Spray and Cold Spray Applications on Postoperative Thirst Level and Comfort in Patients Undergoing Bariatric Surgery

Status
Not yet recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07728500
Enrollment
180
Registered
2026-07-27
Start date
2026-07-30
Completion date
2026-10-30
Last updated
2026-07-27

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Thirst in Bariatric Surgery Patients

Brief summary

Bariatric surgery is a widely used surgical treatment method in obesity management that improves quality of life and provides long-term weight loss. Patients often experience thirst in the early postoperative period. Factors that increase thirst include cessation of oral intake, room temperature, intubation, dehydration, hypovolemia, and oxygen therapy in the preoperative period. Furthermore, failure to initiate oral intake early in the postoperative period increases thirst and negatively impacts patient comfort. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of menthol spray and cold spray applications on the thirst and comfort levels of patients in the postoperative period. The study aims to contribute to the improvement of nursing practices related to postoperative thirst and comfort management with the findings obtained from this study. This randomized controlled clinical trial is planned to be conducted with patients undergoing bariatric surgery at the General Surgery Clinic of Istanbul Atlas University Hospital. The study population will consist of patients hospitalized in the General Surgery Department of Atlas University Hospital who have undergone bariatric surgery. The sample was determined as 159 patients meeting the inclusion criteria in three groups, calculated using the GPower 3.1.9.7 program with an effect size of f=0.25, a significance level of α=0.05, and a test power of (1-β)=0.80. Considering data loss, the study is planned to be conducted with 180 patients. The "Patient Information Form," "Visual Analog Scale-Comfort (VAS-A)," "Dehydration Visual Analog Scale (VAS)," and "Surgical Dehydration Discomfort Scale (CDSBRÖ)" will be used to collect research data.

Interventions

OTHERMenthol Group

Patients who arrive at the clinic after surgery and participate in the study will have their comfort scores determined and recorded using the VAS scale, and their thirst severity and thirst-related discomfort scale will be assessed and recorded. To prevent bronchoaspiration, the patient's bed will be raised at a 30°-45° angle. The patient will then be instructed to open their mouth, lift their tongue, and direct the spray towards the sublingual area, the mucous membranes of both cheeks, and the surface of the tongue. Next, a 5 cm applicator containing menthol water obtained from leaves and flowers through modern distillations and kept at +4°C will be inserted 2-3 cm deep into the mouth and sprayed three times sequentially onto the palate, the left cheek, the surface of the tongue, the right cheek, and the laryngopharynx. Each spray will be approximately 2 ml. Three more sprays will be administered at 2, 4, and 6 hours after arrival at the surgical clinic. The patients' standard treatme

OTHERCold Spray Group

Cold Spray Group Patients who arrive at the clinic after surgery and participate in the study will have their comfort scores determined and recorded using the VAS scale, thirst severity, and thirst-related discomfort scale. Initial assessments (irritation, nausea, vomiting, aspiration risk, swallowing difficulty) will be performed as soon as the patient arrives at the clinic after surgery. The patient's bed will be raised at a 30°-45° angle to prevent bronchoaspiration. Then, the patient will be instructed to open their mouth, lift their tongue, and direct the spray towards the sublingual area, the mucous membranes of both cheeks, and the surface of the tongue. The patient will be asked to keep their mouth closed for 5 minutes after each application. Then, insert the 5 cm applicator into the mouth 2-3 cm deep and spray ice-cold water three times sequentially onto the palate, the left cheek, the surface of the tongue, the right cheek, and the laryngopharynx. Each spray will be approxima

OTHERPlacebo Group

Patients who arrive at the clinic after surgery and participate in the study will have their comfort scores determined and recorded using the VAS scale, and their thirst severity and thirst-related discomfort scale will be assessed. Initial assessments (irritation, nausea, vomiting, aspiration risk, dysphagia) will be performed as soon as the patient arrives at the clinic post-surgery. The patient's bed will be raised to a 30°-45° angle to prevent bronchoaspiration. The patient will then be instructed to open their mouth, lift their tongue, and direct the spray towards the sublingual area, the mucous membranes of both cheeks, and the surface of the tongue. The patient will be asked to keep their mouth closed for 5 minutes after each application. Then, insert the 5 cm applicator 2-3 cm deep into the mouth and spray ice-cold water three times sequentially onto the palate, the left cheek, the surface of the tongue, the right cheek, and the laryngopharynx. Each spray will be approximately

Sponsors

Atlas University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effects of cold water spray and menthol water spray on postoperative thirst intensity, thirst-related discomfort, and comfort in adult surgical patients. Eligible patients will be randomly assigned to a control group, a cold spray group, or a menthol spray group using a computer-generated randomization sequence (Random.org). The intervention groups will receive oral cold water spray (0-6°C) or menthol water spray (4°C) at the 2nd, 4th, and 6th postoperative hours, while the control group will receive standard postoperative care. Thirst intensity, thirst-related discomfort, and comfort will be assessed using validated scales before and after the intervention

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* • Patients who are 18 years of age or older, * who undergo bariatric surgery under general anesthesia, * who do not have oral or nasal diseases, or vision, hearing, speech, or comprehension problems, * who are classified as grade I or II according to the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Physical Status Classification System, * who are not allergic to menthol, * who do not have severe vomiting, and • whose preoperative fasting and thirst period is 8 hours.

Exclusion criteria

* Patients with impaired oral and tongue mucosal integrity prior to surgery, Patients with any neurological, kidney, heart or lung disease with cognitive impairment and those using psychoactive drugs will be excluded.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Postoperative thirst intensityBaseline (upon admission to the surgical ward before intervention), and at the 2nd, 4th, and 6th postoperative hours.Postoperative thirst intensity will be assessed using a 10-cm Visual Analog Scale (VAS), with scores ranging from 0 (no thirst) to 10 (worst possible thirst).

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Postoperative comfortBaseline (before intervention), and at the 2nd, 4th, and 6th postoperative hours.Comfort will be assessed using the Visual Analog Scale for Comfort (VAS), with higher scores indicating greater comfort.

Countries

Turkey (Türkiye)

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Jul 28, 2026