Tepid sponge baths can distress febrile children, and are of unproven value for reducing fever. This study compared the cooling effect of acetaminophen alone, and acetaminophen plus a 15 minute tepid sponge bath. Twenty children (age range: 5 to 68 months) seen at the Urgent Care or Emergency Department with fever of ≥ 38.9°C were randomized to receive (1) no sponge bath, or (2) a 15 minute sponge bath 30 minutes after the acetaminophen. Subjects received a 15 mg/kg dose of acetaminophen. Tympanic temperature was monitored every 30 minutes for two hours, and subjects were monitored for signs of discomfort (crying, shivering, goosebumps). Significance level was set at 0.05. Sponge bathed subjects cooled faster during the first hour; however, there was no significant difference between groups in overall temperature change after two hours. Sponge bathed subjects had significantly higher discomfort scores during the bathing period only (p ≤ 0.009).
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/291660 |
| Date | January 1994 |
| Creators | Sharber, Elizabeth Jane, 1958- |
| Contributors | Moore, Ida M. |
| Publisher | The University of Arizona. |
| Source Sets | University of Arizona |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text, Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) |
| Rights | Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. |
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