Clinical Trial
The efficacy of tepid sponge bathing to reduce fever in young children
J Sharber. Am J Emerg Med. 1997 Mar.
Abstract
Tepid sponge baths distress febrile children, and their efficacy at reducing fever has not been established. This study compared fever reduction and with (1) acetaminophen alone and (2) acetaminophen plus a 15-minute tepid sponge bath. Twenty children, ages 5 to 68 months, who presented to the emergency department or urgent care center with fever of > or = 38.9 degrees C were randomized to receive (1) acetaminophen alone or (2) acetaminophen plus a 15-minute tepid sponge bath. All subjects received a 15-mg/kg dose of acetaminophen. Tympanic temperature was monitored every 30 minutes for 2 hours. Subjects were monitored for signs of discomfort (crying, shivering, goosebumps). Sponge-bathed subjects cooled faster during the first hour but there was no significant temperature difference between the groups over the 2-hour study period (P = .871). Subjects in the sponge bath group had significantly higher discomfort scores (P = .009).
PubMed Disclaimer
Similar articles
-
Efficacy of tepid sponging versus paracetamol in reducing temperature in febrile children.
Agbolosu NB, Cuevas LE, Milligan P, Broadhead RL, Brewster D, Graham SM. Agbolosu NB, et al. Ann Trop Paediatr. 1997 Sep;17(3):283-8. doi: 10.1080/02724936.1997.11747899. Ann Trop Paediatr. 1997. PMID: 9425385 Clinical Trial.
-
Alves JG, Almeida ND, Almeida CD. Alves JG, et al. Sao Paulo Med J. 2008 Mar 6;126(2):107-11. doi: 10.1590/s1516-31802008000200008. Sao Paulo Med J. 2008. PMID: 18553033 Free PMC article. Clinical Trial.
-
Tepid sponging to reduce temperature in febrile children in a tropical climate.
Mahar AF, Allen SJ, Milligan P, Suthumnirund S, Chotpitayasunondh T, Sabchareon A, Coulter JB. Mahar AF, et al. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 1994 Apr;33(4):227-31. doi: 10.1177/000992289403300407. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 1994. PMID: 8013170 Clinical Trial.
-
Physical methods for treating fever in children.
Meremikwu M, Oyo-Ita A. Meremikwu M, et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2003;2003(2):CD004264. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD004264. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2003. PMID: 12804512 Free PMC article. Review.
-
[Ways to reduce fever: are luke-warm water baths still indicated?].
Corrard F. Corrard F. Arch Pediatr. 2002 Mar;9(3):311-5. doi: 10.1016/s0929-693x(01)00770-9. Arch Pediatr. 2002. PMID: 11938544 Review. French.
Cited by
-
Definition and assessment of fever-related discomfort in pediatric literature: a systematic review.
Milani GP, Alberti I, Bonetti A, Garattini S, Corsello A, Marchisio P, Chiappini E. Milani GP, et al. Eur J Pediatr. 2024 Nov;183(11):4969-4979. doi: 10.1007/s00431-024-05753-7. Epub 2024 Sep 23. Eur J Pediatr. 2024. PMID: 39311966 Free PMC article.
-
Is tepid sponging more effective than paracetamol at relieving fever in febrile children in hot tropical climates? a mini review.
Akyirem S, Bossman IF. Akyirem S, et al. Ghana Med J. 2021 Mar;55(1):60-68. doi: 10.4314/gmj.v55i1.9. Ghana Med J. 2021. PMID: 38322388 Free PMC article.
-
Clinical effects of Kneipp hydrotherapy: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials.
Ortiz M, Koch AK, Cramer H, Linde K, Rotter G, Teut M, Brinkhaus B, Haller H. Ortiz M, et al. BMJ Open. 2023 Jul 9;13(7):e070951. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-070951. BMJ Open. 2023. PMID: 37423627 Free PMC article.
-
[Correlations between Obtaining Fever Management Information from the Internet and Knowledge and Practices of Fever Management by Mothers of Infants and Toddlers].
Kim HJ, Koo HY. Kim HJ, et al. Child Health Nurs Res. 2020 Apr;26(2):190-200. doi: 10.4094/chnr.2020.26.2.190. Epub 2020 Apr 30. Child Health Nurs Res. 2020. PMID: 35004464 Free PMC article. Korean.
-
Dong L, Jin J, Lu Y, Jiang L, Shan X. Dong L, et al. BMC Pediatr. 2015 Oct 19;15:163. doi: 10.1186/s12887-015-0475-8. BMC Pediatr. 2015. PMID: 26482129 Free PMC article.