A child's temperature can be life-threatening. How to properly bring down a high temperature? What if the antipyretic doesn't work? When should an ambulance be called? Pediatrician advises
How the girl died
The tragedy with the child happened suddenly. According to the mother of the late girl, Juliana's temperature jumped at night. The family doctor refused to advise on the phone and receive the child outside of working hours (it was at 12 at night), and advised to take the baby to the regional hospital. In a panic, my mother either did not think to call an ambulance, or decided that they would get to the doctors faster. However, it was not possible to wait for help in the Starovyzhivsky district hospital. The doctor on duty examined the girl, who was burning from the high temperature, and ordered tests that could be taken only in the morning.
“I begged to give the child an injection to lower the temperature. They gave their daughter an injection and said: wait until 9 am for the outpatient clinic to open, ”mother Ekaterina Kurilyuk told reporters. The woman patiently waited for the morning, and the baby died at that time. “The child“ burned ”for 5 hours because of the high temperature. She died without waiting for help, ”my mother recalls with pain. Ekaterina Kurilyuk turned to the police, where two criminal cases were opened on the fact of the girl's death. Now a pre-trial investigation is underway, the police have appointed a number of examinations to establish the cause of the death of the child.
Whoever is to blame for this tragic story, the child cannot be returned back. Therefore, all parents need to know by heart the rules of behavior at a high temperature in a child. Often, due to panic, we start to do the wrong thing, waste precious time and do not notice clear signs that the child already needs urgent medical attention. How to properly bring down a high temperature in a baby, how to combine antipyretic drugs and when to call an ambulance, we were told by an infectious disease doctor at the "Mom-Doctor" children's medical center, who practices EBM (evidence based medicine) Evgeny Shcherbina.
The main thing at high temperatures is to solder the child / istockphoto.com
When to bring down the temperature
A high temperature in a child is always stressful for parents. Nerves are also added by discrepancies in the opinions of pediatricians on how to act in this case. Someone advises not to touch the child up to a temperature of 38.5, while someone insists that it is necessary knock down the temperature with an increase of more than 38 degrees. Parents in this heap of recommendations are interested in the main question: can a child burn out from a high temperature?
“If a person’s thermoregulation center functions correctly, it will almost never raise the temperature above 41.6-42 degrees,” says Evgeny Shcherbina. - With infectious diseases, the temperature very rarely reaches 40, even less often to 41, and about 42 degrees I am already generally silent. Our body knows perfectly well when the temperature needs to be raised and to what specific limit. Overcoming the border of 42 degrees is possible, by and large, in two cases: disruption of the center thermoregulation (traumatic brain injury, brain tumors) and general overheating from the outside (solar or heatstroke)".
It is necessary to bring down the elevated body temperature to alleviate the general condition of the child. Remember that antipyretic drugs do not cure illness or cramps, and should not be given to prevent fever and to avoid the side effects of fever.
“If the child is on fire and feels bad, give him an antipyretic drug,” continues Yevgeny Shcherbina. - Only two of them are allowed for use in children, paracetamol and ibuprofen. In case of fever, it is better to use oral forms of drugs (syrups or tablets in a dosage according to age). Therefore, you give the syrup. If the child is vomiting or just spitting it out, then put a candle on. "
Antipyretics are given not by age, but by the weight of the child / istockphoto.com
How much antipyretic drug should be given
Usually on antipyretic drugs, dosages are written according to age. This is an average value; to calculate the correct dose, you need to proceed from the weight of the child, emphasizes Evgeny Shcherbina. “A single dose for paracetamol is 15 mg / kg of body weight, and for ibuprofen - 10 mg / kg of body weight,” the expert notes. - Typically, paracetamol syrups are available in a dosage of 120 mg / 5 ml. If you count it, it turns out that the child needs to be given 0.6 milliliters of syrup for each kilogram of body weight. Ibuprofen usually comes in a dosage of 100 mg / 5 ml, that is, 0.5 milliliters for each kilogram of body weight. The maximum daily dose of ibuprofen is 40 mg / kg, and paracetamol is 75 mg / kg. "
Before giving medicine to your child, be sure to double-check the dosage on the package. For example, the same ibuprofen in syrup can be produced in two versions: regular and forte, with an increased concentration of the active ingredient.
Do not expect instant medicine. As a rule, the drug begins to act in 1.5-2 hours. Much depends on the temperature: the higher the readings, the more time it takes for the medicine to start working.
What to do if the antipyretic does not work
Until the temperature drops, you need to offer the baby to drink warm or cool liquid (up to 100 ml / kg of body weight per day). Ventilate the room where the child is. So called "Physical methods of cooling" not recommended: you do not need to wrap your baby in a damp cold sheet, lead him into a cold shower or undress him completely. If you have an overwhelming desire to help your child in some way, you can put a towel dipped in room temperature water on his forehead. It should be plain water, no vinegar solution. Medicine has long proven that vinegar rubdowns only lead to intoxication of the body.
If the child's condition has improved 1.5-2 hours after taking the medicine, you can relax and continue to solder the child until the next episode of fever. It is important to note here: an improvement in the condition after taking an antipyretic agent is a decrease in temperature by at least 1-1.5 degrees. That is, it does not mean at all that the temperature should drop to 36.6. If the temperature does not decrease and the child's condition does not improve, another drug can be given (for example, ibuprofen after paracetamol or vice versa). Usually, after a dose of another medicine, the child gets better within an hour.
“It is imperative to observe the permissible intervals: paracetamol after paracetamol can be given every 4 hours, and ibuprofen after ibuprofen - every 6 hours,” warns Yevgeny Shcherbina. In total, a child can be given antipyretic drugs 8 times per day: 4 times ibuprofen and 4 times paracetamol. With candles, the tactics of use are exactly the same: the interval between different drugs is at least 1.5 hours and the exposure of the intervals between the same medicine.
There are a number of symptoms you need to call the emergency room / istockphoto.com
When you need to urgently call an ambulance
Watch your baby closely during a fever. In a child's condition there is red flagsthat signal to you that it is time to call an ambulance. So the child has:
- impaired or absent consciousness;
- convulsions began;
- rapid or labored breathing between temperature rises;
- rashes appear that do not brighten with pressure (hemorrhages into the skin);
- there are signs of dehydration (dry skin and mucous membranes, no tears when crying, prolonged absence of urine, infants have a sunken fontanel)
You will also be interested in reading:
Increased temperature in a child: why does it occur and should it be knocked down
Why the child's temperature does not go astray and what to do for parents
Dangerous mistakes of parents at a high temperature in a child
