What should I do if the patient has dry mouth and bad oral odor during the fasting period?
"Nurse, my mouth is dry. I want to drink water. Give me water quickly!" An urgent call came from the postoperative recovery room.
Nurse Xiao Wang walked quickly to the bedside of patient Li on bed 20: "Uncle, you have just finished the operation. You can't drink water now. You will not be able to drink water until 4 hours later."
"Oh, I I was about to die, so I had a craniotomy and I couldn’t even drink water. What kind of punishment was this?" Uncle Li sighed.
"There is really no way. It has been less than 4 hours since your operation. If I give you water now, you will vomit due to the anesthesia reaction." Nurse Xiao Wang said helplessly.
"Oh, my mouth is dry and smelly, and I can't drink water. It's really terrible!"
The above scene is a true portrayal of the recovery room after surgery. Since you cannot eat or drink within 4 hours after surgery, discomfort such as dry mouth and bad breath are common. Is there any way to help patients relieve the above discomfort? Our secret is chewing gum!
Chewing gum is very common in daily life. Some people like it because of its taste; some people like it because it can kill boring time; and in the intensive care unit, postoperative patients like it because of its taste. There are many other wonderful uses.
NO.1
Relieve oral odor and promote gastrointestinal function recovery
Chewing gum comes in many flavors, including mint, fruit, milk, etc. After surgery, patients will have an unpleasant smell of blood in their mouths due to tracheal intubation damage and the influence of drugs. and bitter and astringent taste, which not only affects the patient's comfort, but also affects the patient's appetite due to oral odor. At this time, a small piece of chewing gum can play its magical role. Chewing mint-flavored, fruit-flavored chewing gum to patients can help patients relieve oral odor. Patients can choose flavors according to their own preferences and promote appetite recovery. It can also transmit signals through the chewing action of chewing gum to promote the recovery of gastrointestinal peristalsis function and relieve the symptoms of nausea and vomiting in patients.
NO.2
Relieve postoperative dry mouth and carry out swallowing training
The large amount of saliva produced during the chewing gum process can be said to be good news for patients who cannot eat or drink after surgery. It is helpful to relieve postoperative dry mouth and tongue at the same time. Swallowing function training can be carried out, which can reduce the incidence of postoperative dysphagia in patients without increasing pain and wound complications, and is conducive to promoting the outcome of the disease.
NO.3
To pass the time and reduce anxiety
Patients who are awake after surgery are not accompanied by their family members in the intensive care unit. In addition, the postoperative efficacy and surgical effects are unknown, and their spirits and psychology are in a state of fear and anxiety Anxiety Most of the patients are awake after surgery Some patients feel like their days in the intensive care unit are like years, and they even count the minutes to calculate when they can be transferred from the intensive care unit to the general ward. At this time, giving the patient a piece of chewing gum can help divert his attention and reduce his anxiety.
NO.4
Blow the bubbles and start postoperative rehabilitation exercises
Postoperative patients cannot get out of bed in the short term. In order to prevent possible postoperative risks such as atelectasis and pulmonary infection, medical staff will teach the patients Blow up balloons to increase their lung capacity and exercise their lung function.
However, for patients on the day after surgery, most of them are weak due to the surgical anesthesia effect and fasting and water intake, and cannot complete the balloon blowing operation.
At this time, the nurse can provide the patient with a piece of chewing gum and let them blow bubbles while chewing it, which will promote the patient's participation in rehabilitation exercises after surgery.
Postoperative functional exercise methods from simple to complex are also acceptable to the vast majority of post-operative frail patients.
In addition, some studies have shown that chewing gum early after surgery can also reduce the occurrence of abdominal distension.
However, chewing gum is not suitable for all postoperative patients, but only for adult patients who are fully conscious and able to actively cooperate.
At the same time, nurses should pay close attention to patients chewing gum, pay attention to their chief complaints , and inform patients to stop chewing when coughing or talking, and spit out gum pieces to prevent aspiration and airway obstruction. Some literature suggests that swallowing xylitol chewing gum may cause intestinal obstruction , and aspiration of chewing gum can cause airway obstruction and secondary cardiac arrest. Therefore, we need to strengthen bedside monitoring guidance.
A small piece of chewing gum has both advantages and disadvantages. We must seek the advantages and avoid the disadvantages and make full use of its wonderful effect in clinical work.
References:
[1] Wang Xingzhen, Lu Lihong, Deng Huiyan. Analysis of 90 cases of nursing intervention to promote early recovery from gastrointestinal surgery [J]. Journal of Hainan Medical College, 2016, 11:1173-1174+1178.
[2] Yin Yanan , Ren Jianhua, Long Derong, et al. Meta-analysis of the effect of chewing gum on promoting postoperative gastrointestinal function recovery in gynecological patients [J]. Chinese Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine, 2021, 8: 936-941.
[3] Zhang Qianwen, Shen Xuefeng , Shen Yan. Observation on the effect of using xylitol chewing gum chewing method in oral care of patients after general surgery [J]. Nursing and Rehabilitation, 2015, 5: 496-497.
About the author
Author of the article: Wang Wenjuan
Author affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Tongji Hospital Affiliated to Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
The final interpretation rights of this article belong to the author
