Should I use hot or cold compress for a high fever?

After discovering that the patient has symptoms of fever, in order to reduce the fever and relieve the discomfort caused by the high fever, physical cooling methods can be used to cool the patient down first. If you want to cool down, there are two methods to choose from, one is hot compress and the other is cold compress. These two methods are suitable for different patients with fever and should not be used indiscriminately. Below we will introduce in detail which fever patients are suitable for hot and cold compresses.

1. Hot or cold compress for cold and fever

Fever refers to a body temperature that exceeds the upper limit of the normal range and is a very common symptom in babies. The normal axillary temperature of a baby is 36-37℃ (the temperature measured by a rectal thermometer is about 0.3℃ higher than that measured by an oral thermometer, and the temperature measured by an oral thermometer is about 0.4℃ higher than that measured by an axillary thermometer). If the axillary temperature exceeds 37.4℃, it can be considered as a fever. In most cases, fever is a protective response of the body to fight invading pathogens, and it is a process in which the human body is mobilizing the immune system to fight infection. The abnormal increase in body temperature is not necessarily proportional to the severity of the disease, but excessively high or prolonged fever can affect the body's various regulatory functions, thus affecting the baby's physical health. Therefore, for babies confirmed to have a fever, the cause should be actively identified and treated accordingly.

Using an ice pillow or ice compress on the forehead to cool down is a method often used by many parents. However, this method is not suitable for babies under 6 months old, because young babies are easily affected by the external temperature. Using an ice pillow will cause the temperature to drop too quickly, making it difficult for the baby to adapt. In addition, when a baby has a fever, the temperature of the whole body rises. Local ice compresses can only have a local cooling effect. It is not as effective as wiping the whole body with warm water.

It should be noted that when using physical cooling treatments such as warm water baths and ice compresses, if the child has so-called cold reactions such as cold hands and feet, shivering all over, and purple lips, stop immediately.

2. How to deal with baby's fever

1. Wear less clothes to allow the baby to dissipate heat.

The traditional idea is that when a baby has a fever, he or she should be wrapped tightly with clothes and quilts to "force" out the sweat. In fact, this is wrong. When babies have a fever, they will shiver and parents may think that their babies have chills, but in fact, this is because their body temperature rises and causes convulsions.

2. To help your baby cool down physically, there are the following common methods:

Cold wet compress on the head: Soak a soft towel in 20℃-30℃ cold water, squeeze it slightly to prevent dripping, fold it and place it on the forehead, change it every 3-5 minutes.

Head ice pillow: fill the ice bag half full with small ice cubes and a small amount of water, expel the air from the bag, press the bag tightly, and place it on the pillow after there is no water leakage.

Wipe with warm water or take a warm bath: Wipe the baby's head, armpits, limbs with a warm, wet towel or take a warm bath, scrub the skin more often to promote heat dissipation.

Alcohol rub bath: suitable for cooling down high fever. Prepare 200-300 ml of 20%-35% alcohol and use it to rub the limbs and back.

3. Drink plenty of water and don’t take any medicine casually

When the fever is high, breathing speeds up and sweating causes the body to lose a lot of water, so parents should give their baby plenty of water when he has a fever, increase urine volume, and promote the excretion of toxins in the body.