Cold Water Gargling After Major Abdominal Surgery

March 31, 2026 updated by: Seda Akutay, TC Erciyes University

The Effect of Cold Gargling on Oral Dryness, Thirst Severity, and Patient Satisfaction in Patients Who Have Undergone Major Abdominal Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This randomized controlled trial examined the effect of cold water gargling on postoperative oral dryness, thirst severity, and patient satisfaction in patients who underwent major abdominal surgery. Patients were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (cold water gargling) or the control group (standard care). Thirst severity and oral dryness were assessed using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS; 0-10) at postoperative 8, 12, and 24 hours. Perioperative thirst-related discomfort was evaluated using the Perioperative Thirst Discomfort Scale (PTDS; score range 0-12), and patient satisfaction was assessed using a VAS (0-10) at postoperative 24 hours. The study was conducted at Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine Gevher Nesibe Hospital, General Surgery Clinic. A total of 88 patients were enrolled (44 per group). The study aimed to provide evidence for a simple, low-cost nursing intervention to improve postoperative patient comfort.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
88

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Kayseri
      • Kayseri, Kayseri, Turkey (Türkiye), 38030
        • Erciyes University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Aged 18 years or older
  • Scheduled for elective major abdominal surgery
  • Able to communicate verbally
  • Willing to participate and provided written informed consent
  • No restriction on gargling (intact swallowing reflex)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of oral mucositis, oral ulceration, or any oral pathology
  • History of dysphagia or swallowing difficulties
  • Presence of nausea or vomiting preventing gargling
  • Altered level of consciousness or inability to cooperate
  • Receiving intravenous fluid therapy that resolves thirst symptoms
  • Patients who required reoperation during the study period
  • Patients transferred to the intensive care unit postoperatively

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
No Intervention: Control group
Patients in the control group received standard postoperative care per hospital protocol. No gargling intervention was applied. Oral intake restrictions were maintained as per routine clinical practice.
Other: Intervention group
Patients in the intervention group gargled with cold water (approximately 10 mL, 4°C) for 30 seconds at postoperative 8, 12, and 24 hours. Gargling was performed under nurse supervision. Patients were instructed not to swallow the water.
Other: Cold water gargling
Patients gargled with cold water at postoperative 8, 12, and 24 hours. Each gargling session involved approximately 10 mL of cold water (approximately 4°C) for 30 seconds. The procedure was performed under nurse supervision. Patients were instructed not to swallow the water and to spit it out after gargling. No oral fluid intake was permitted during the study period per standard postoperative protocol.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Thirst Severity
Time Frame: Postoperative 8, 12, and 24 hours
Assessed using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS; 0=no thirst, 10=very severe thirst)
Postoperative 8, 12, and 24 hours
Oral Dryness Severity
Time Frame: Postoperative 8, 12, and 24 hours
Assessed using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS; 0=no oral dryness, 10=very severe oral dryness)
Postoperative 8, 12, and 24 hours

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Perioperative Thirst-Related Discomfort
Time Frame: Postoperative 24 hours
Assessed using the Perioperative Thirst Discomfort Scale (PTDS; Turkish version). 6-item, 3-point Likert scale. Total score range 0-12; higher scores indicate greater discomfort.
Postoperative 24 hours
Patient Satisfaction
Time Frame: Postoperative 24 hours
Assessed using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS; 0=not satisfied at all, 10=very satisfied)
Postoperative 24 hours

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
TC Erciyes University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 19, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
March 1, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
March 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
March 26, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 26, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
April 1, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
April 6, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 31, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • ErciyesUniversity_

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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