The effect of an aromatic solution applied after percutaneous nephrolithotomy on sore throat, thirst, and nausea-vomiting: A randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Common postoperative symptoms are known to impede recovery, indicating the necessity for non-pharmacological alternatives to address these symptoms. This study aimed to investigate the effect of an aromatic solution prepared from lavender and ginger oil on sore throat, thirst, and nausea-vomiting after percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL) surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The trial used an experimental, double-blind randomised controlled group design with three arms. It was conducted between 2021 and 2023 in the urology department of a hospital, involving 110 patients (37 experimental, 37 placebo, 36 control) who underwent PNL. A personal information form, a visual analogue scale (VAS) for sore throat and thirst, and a verbal descriptive scale (VDS) for nausea and vomiting were used. The prepared aromatic solution was applied as a mouth spray at 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 h postoperatively. RESULTS: A statistically significant decrease in sore throat scores was observed in the experimental group compared to the placebo and control groups following the intervention. Thirst levels decreased in both the placebo and experimental groups, with the experimental group showing lower thirst scores than the other groups. Additionally, the experimental group showed a significant reduction in nausea and vomiting scores compared to the other groups. CONCLUSION: This study found that the aromatic solution had beneficial effects on sore throat, thirst, and nausea-vomiting in the postoperative period. To our knowledge, this is among the first studies exploring combined effects of lavender and ginger oils on postoperative symptoms after PNL surgery, potentially offering new insights to the literature. CLINICALTRIALS GOV ID: NCT05522023.