Pyrexia

Pyrexia
A fever or a febrile condition, abnormal elevation of the body temperature.

(Febrile = pertaining to or characterised by fever).

Fever
A rise in body temperature above normal usually as a natural response to infection. Typically an oral temperature greater than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit constitutes a fever.

The average normal body temperature taken orally is 37ºC (98.6ºF), but anywhere between 36.5ºC and 37.2ºC (97.7ºF and 99ºF) may be normal.

Normal axilla temperatures are 0.2ºC to 0.3ºC lower than this.

A temperature of 38ºC (100.4ºF) or above is usually considered to be a significant fever.

Always investigate why the client is pyrexic. Reasons may be anything from painful contractions and labour to infection.

Treatment

There are several things you can do to help bring the temperature down and make the client more comfortable:

• Keep the room at a comfortable temperature, but make sure air is circulating where possible (however turn off fans when baby about to be born so baby is not 'chilled')
• Ensure they drink water to prevent dehydration
• Take off excessive layers of clothing
• A cold compress is often found soothing by women in labour (you can make this with anything from a flannel regularly run under a cold tap at a homebirth or substitute with paper towels on the unit)

Give medication regularly. Either paracetamol as tablets (adults) or syrup (children); ibuprofen as tablets (adults) or syrup (children); or aspirin, for adults only. Children under 16 should not be given aspirin.


Fever is rarely harmful, but at very high temperatures it can cause problems. For example, some clients with extreme pyrexia may have a 'febrile convulsion'.



References

http://www.rcsed.ac.uk/eselect/cc13.htm
http://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk/cgi-bin/omd?pyrexia

checked as accurate - K(RM)

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