Background: Postoperative thirst is one of the most intense, common and easily ignored subjective discomforts in patients after gynecological surgery. This study aimed to investigate whether early oral hydration on demand in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) after gynecological laparoscopy under general anesthesia can appease postoperative thirst and increase patient comfort.

Methods: Participants were randomized into the intervention and control groups. Patients in the intervention group were allowed to achieve early oral hydration on demand in the PACU if they were evaluated as fully conscious, with stable vital signs, grade 5 muscle strength, and well-recovered cough and swallowing reflex. However, the total amount of water intake throughout the entire study should not exceed 0.5mL/kg. During the study, the frequency of water intake, the total amount of water intake and adverse events were accurately recorded. The control group was managed according to the routine procedures and began to drink water 2 h after anesthesia. The intensity of thirst and subjective comfort in patients were assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS) when they entered and left the PACU.

Results: No statistically significant differences were identified in age, height, weight, body mass index, pre-operative fasting time, duration of surgery, intraoperative fluid intake, intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative urine volume, and thirst intensity and subjective comfort scores between the groups before intervention (P > 0.05). After intervention, the VAS score for thirst intensity in the intervention group significantly decreased (P < 0.05), and the VAS score for subjective comfort in the intervention group significantly increased (P < 0.05). No adverse events were detected in both groups during the entire study.

Conclusion: Early oral hydration on demand in the PACU can safely and effectively relieve postoperative thirst in patients, and improve patient comfort after gynecological laparoscopy.

Trial registration: This single-center, prospective, randomized controlled trial was registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Center on April 27, 2023. The registration number of this study is ChiCTR2300070985.