J Korean Acad Child Health Nurs.  2012 Oct;18(4):164-169.

Comparison of Antifebrile Effects of Hypothermia Blanket and Rectal Antipyretics for Infants after Open Heart Surgery

• Kim EJ
• Kim MH

Abstract

PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness for infants of antifebrile therapy using a hypothermia blanket or rectal antipyretics following open heart surgery.
METHODS
This was a retrospective study and 174 infants who had open heart surgery at P University Hospital, and whose body temperature body temperature exceeded 37.2degrees C were included in the study. The assessment tool was composed of 32 items was used for assessment of fever therapy, physiological indexes and antifebrile duration. Physiological indexes included systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, pH, PaCO2, PaO2, HCO3-, SaO2, and K+ and the antifebrile duration was minutes from having a fever until BT returned to normal levels.
RESULTS
The antifebrile duration with the hypothermia blanket was shorter than with rectal antipyretics. There were significant differences in the physiological indexes with either type of antifebrile therapy, but drop in BT was greater with the hypothermia blanket than rectal antipyretics.
CONCLUSION
The results of this study indicate that a hypothermia blanket is a non-invasive, non-drug and safe antifebrile therapy. Therefore, a hypothermia blanket can be applied to infants with a fever following open heart surgery.

Keyword

Fever; Physiological index

MeSH Terms

Antipyretics
Blood Pressure
Body Temperature
Fever
Heart
Heart Rate
Humans
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Hyperthermia, Induced
Hypothermia
Infant
Retrospective Studies
Thoracic Surgery
Child Health
Antipyretics