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Examining Oral Intake Temperature in Cardiac Surgery PatientsUniversity of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Calgary Health Region, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Calgary Health Region, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Calgary Health Region, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Calgary Health Region, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Calgary Health Region, Calgary, Alberta, Canada The effect of restricting the temperature of cardiac surgery patients' oral intake to room temperature or warmer, over the first 3 postoperative days, on gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms was examined. In all, 57 patients were randomly assigned to receive the intervention or usual care. GI symptoms were measured daily over the first 5 postoperative days. Following hospital discharge, GI symptoms and return to function data were collected over 4 postoperative weeks. On Postoperative Day 1, 41% of patients reported having GI symptoms, and they were significantly associated with higher cross-clamp time. Symptoms dissipated over time. There were no differences between the study groups in GI symptoms or return to function. Nearly 70% of patients who withdrew from the study were randomized to the intervention group. Difficulty associated with adhering to the study protocol was their primary reason for withdrawing. Given these findings, a large-scale clinical trial may not be warranted.
Key Words: oral intake temperature postoperative nausea
Clinical Nursing Research, Vol. 17, No. 4,
262-277 (2008) |
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