When a child has a fever, the first reaction of many parents is to quickly cool it, which is a self-protection mechanism for the body, and blind deheating may affect the functioning of the immune system. When the temperature of the baby is below 38. 5°c, the physical cooling of science is the safer option, but there are clear errors in the way many families operate。
The most common mistake is to sweat the baby or use the cold bag. Dr. Lee jie, the newborn at the beijing university people's hospital, stated that too many clothes for children during fever would impede heat distribution, as if cotton were being wrapped in the dissipated body, which could lead to a constant increase in body temperature. In the case of ice bags and reheating, local cooling patterns, which, while temporarily cooling the skin, constrict the body vessels, affect the overall heat-dissemination efficiency and have limited actual cooling effects。
Correct physical cooling requires three key elements: control of ambient temperature, mild dispersion and recharge of moisture. Room temperature is the most appropriate at 24-26°c and, when using air conditioning or fans, be careful not to blow the baby directly. To wear one layer of cotton clothing for the baby and to ensure warm hands and feet, if a cold war occurs, blankets can be added for the time being and removed as soon as it disappears. The most efficient method is a warm water bath, with wet towels immersed with warm water of 32-34°c, with a focus on the wiring of large vascular areas such as the neck, armpits, groin, and so forth, lasting 10 minutes at a time, with a one-hour interval。
The loss of moisture is accelerated by the breathing and sweating of the baby during a fever, with parents feeding warm water, breast milk or oral rehydration salts in small quantities of 5 to 10 ml at a 15 to 20 minute interval. Particular attention needs to be paid to the need to avoid sensitive areas such as the front chest, abdomen and the timely drying of skin to prevent cooling. Physical temperature is monitored every hour during the cooling period and medical attention is immediately provided if it exceeds 38. 5 °c or if symptoms such as mental infirmity, convulsions and vomiting occur. Remember, patient observation is more important than rushing back to heat, and scientific care helps the baby survive the fever。
