Prevalence and thirst intensity in children in the immediate postoperative period

Objective: To identify the prevalence and thirst intensity in children in the immediate postoperative period and its associated factors. Methods: This is a cross-sectional and analytical study. The sample consisted of 78 children aged four to twelve years in the post-anesthesia care unit in the immediate postoperative period. Thirst presence, as well as its attributes and signs, were identified by questioning by the researcher and/or self-report of children and their caregivers. Thirst intensity was measured using the face scale. The outcome variables were thirst presence and intensity. Prevalence ratio was calculated by Poisson regression, with robust variance. Results: The prevalence of thirst was 88.5%, with 39.7% reporting thirst in the postoperative period and 48.7% since the preoperative period. As for the intensity, 20.5% reported strong thirst and 37.2% intense thirst. Additionally, more than half of the children (59%) reported it spontaneously. The factors associated with greater thirst intensity were: female sex (PR=1.27); spontaneous complaint (PR=1.29); reporting feeling of dry mouth (PR=1.93) and thick saliva (PR=1.43); age was inversely associated with thirst intensity, i.e., the younger the age, the greater the thirst intensity (beta= -0.053; p=0.01). Conclusion: Thirst in surgical children has a high prevalence and intensity. Children are able to identify the signs related to thirst and spontaneously reports it. Sex, spontaneous complaints, age, dry mouth and thick saliva were associated with intensity. These results signal the need for intentional interventions to reduce child thirst in clinical practice.