The Effect of Oral Carbohydrate Solution on Anxiety and Comfort in Patients Undergoing Hip Arthroplasty

Hip arthroplasty (HA) is a very common treatment method in orthopedic surgery worldwide. HA is considered a successful, safe and cost-effective medical intervention to regain pain-free mobility and functionality of the hip joint in patients with severe joint disease or trauma.

It is stated that the annual number of patients undergoing HA in the United States is 193,000, and this number is approximately one million worldwide. In the next 15 years, it is estimated that the number of patients undergoing HA will continue to increase in the world and in Turkey.

It is stated that health care services should start in the preoperative period and continue in the postoperative period, especially in HA surgeries performed due to limitation of mobility. Because HA application is seen as a major surgical intervention and as with many surgical interventions, it can affect the individual as a whole.

Surgical intervention is a combination of anesthesia, drug therapy, tissue trauma, blood loss and body temperature changes. These developing events stimulate metabolic changes and cause postoperative anxiety and stress response at the same time. Exposure of the human body to surgery or other trauma elicits a neurohumoral response and activates a catabolic process. Surgical stress causes an increase in the release of regulatory hormones such as catecholamine, glucagon and cortisol in the body and a decrease in insulin sensitivity. The increase in cortisol level leads to the development of insulin resistance and hyperglycemia, which have an important effect on the healing process. Changes in this process increase the risk of postoperative complications and mortality.

On the other hand, fasting the patient overnight as a standard practice in the preoperative period in order to reduce the risk of lung aspiration in elective surgery patients may cause a change in the insulin glucagon ratio. This increases the stress response to surgical trauma and may have a major impact on glycemic control and insulin resistance. Prolongation of the preoperative fasting period may cause negative effects such as feeling of hunger, anxiety, restlessness, headache, dehydration, hypovolemia and hypoglycemia. However, the increase in the preoperative fasting period causes a decrease in patient satisfaction, and causes undesirable conditions such as nausea and vomiting in the postoperative period, delaying the healing process and prolonging the hospital stay of the patients.

In the guidelines published in countries such as America, Canada and Europe, it is reported that the longer the fasting period, the negative effects on patient safety and comfort. In elective surgeries, it is recommended that clear liquids can be consumed up to the last two hours and solid foods up to six hours before the surgical procedure in order to reduce anxiety, reduce the negative effects of the stress response on the patient, and ensure patient comfort. In the guideline published by the Turkish Society of Anesthesiology and Reanimation (TARD) in 2005, it is recommended to comply with these criteria in patients who will undergo elective surgery. Therefore, modern perioperative care aims at maximizing the shortening of the fasting period before an elective surgery.

According to Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols, one of the elements of modern perioperative care is the administration of preoperative oral carbohydrate loading (OCS). In the literature; oral carbohydrate solution administration before elective surgery; It is stated that it is absorbed from the stomach of the patient in an average of 90 minutes, reduces protein catabolism in the muscles, increases glycogen storage in the liver and reduces insulin resistance. In addition, in other studies conducted in abdominal, orthopedic and cardiac surgery; It has been determined that OCS reduces postoperative metabolic stress, preserves lean body mass and muscle strength, and increases patient comfort by reducing the length of hospital stay.

The concept of patient comfort is defined as the comfort that facilitates daily life. In providing the health care needs, which are extremely stressful for the patient, nurses apply nursing interventions for comfort, which is a concept unique to the individual, allowing the patient to experience less anxiety, be more peaceful and overcome their problems.

Discomforts experienced by the patient during the operation or procedures (pain, nausea, vomiting, hypothermia, anxiety, etc.) may increase the patient's anxiety and may be the main reason for the decrease in comfort. The nurse should provide all necessary nursing interventions to reduce or eliminate the situations that will cause anxiety in the patient before and after each procedure to be applied to the patient. With all these practices, patients can receive a quality nursing care, contribute to their faster recovery and increase their quality of life.

Quality patient care in surgical nursing; should be shaped within the framework of ethical principles such as not harming and providing benefit. In the literature; Evidence for the duration of fasting in the preoperative period is reflected in clinical practice, emphasizing the need to prevent patients from being harmed without putting them at risk. Thus, by managing the hunger period within the scope of evidence-based practices; It is stated that many therapeutic benefits can be obtained, such as reducing anxiety, discomfort, headache, thirst and hunger in the preoperative period, and providing patient comfort by reducing nausea, vomiting and dehydration in the postoperative period.

Managing food and fluid restriction in line with the guidelines in the preoperative period is one of the important responsibilities of the surgical nurse. Thus, the comfort of the patients will be increased, their anxiety will be reduced, and they will be able to return to their normal lives as soon as possible. Working from here; It was aimed to determine the effect of preoperative OCS on anxiety and patient comfort in patients undergoing HA.