Objective: To evaluate the effects of physical methods of reducing body temperature (ice pack and warm compression) in critically ill patients with fever. Method: A randomized clinical trial involving 102 adult patients with tympanic temperature = 38.3°C of an infectious focus, and randomized into three groups: Intervention I - ice pack associated with antipyretic; Intervention II - warm compress associated with antipyretic; and Control - antipyretic. Tympanic temperature was measured at 15 minute intervals for 3 hours. The effect of the interventions was evaluated through the Mann-Whitney test and Survival Analysis. "Effect size" calculation was carried out. Results: Patients in the intervention groups I and II presented greater reduction in body temperature. The group of patients receiving intervention I presented tympanic temperature below 38.3°C at 45 minutes of monitoring, while the value for control group was lower than 38.3°C starting at 60 minutes, and those who received intervention II had values lower than 38.3°C at 75 minutes of monitoring. Conclusion: No statistically significant difference was found between the interventions, but with the intervention group I patients showed greater reduction in tympanic temperature compared to the other groups. Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials: RBR-2k3kbq.
CITATION STYLE
Salgado, P. de O., da Silva, L. C. R., Silva, P. M. A., & Chianca, T. C. M. (2016). Physical methods for the treatment of fever in critically ill patients: A randomized controlled trial. Revista Da Escola de Enfermagem, 50(5), 823–830. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0080-623420160000600016
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