The Effect of Cold Vapor Treated to Thyroidectomy Patients During Early Postoperative Period

INTRODUCTION: Although thyroidectomy is one of the operations, that are frequently performed with a low mortality rate today, it may cause severe morbidity, bleeding, recurrent damage of neuronal and parathyroid glands and problems such as laryngeal edema.
In this analytical and prospective study, it was aimed to examine the effect of cold vapor that was applied to thyroidectomy patients during early postoperative period.

METHODS: The sample of the study was composed of 60 patients who underwent thyroidectomy. Patients were classified into two groups including control group and cold vapor group. Cold vapor was applied to both groups vapor for 15 minutes per hour within the first eight hours following the operation. Then, for cold vapor group cold vapor application was continued to apply at two and three hour intervals during the first 24hours. In both groups sore throat, cough, dysphagia and vocal status were evaluated in the first 24hours after surgery.
RESULTS: It was determined that sore throat was experienced significantly less in cold vapor group within the first 24hours following operation and it was increasingly cooling down. It was also found that cough was experienced significantly less in cold vapor group, and this problem disappeared completely at 8hours after the operation. Cold vapor applied during the first 24hours following thyroidectomy was found to have had a significant effect on decreasing swallowing impairment and eliminating hoarseness.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Cold vapor application during the first 24 hours following operation was found to have an effect on alleviating sore throat, cough and swallowing impairment and eliminating hoarseness.