Abstract
In Japan, nurses carry out multiple cooling of the occipital area, axilla, groin, dorsum, and neck for patients with high fever. This multiple cooling approach is based on standard nursing practice, but there is actually no evidence of its effectiveness for reduction of fever, or its physiological basis.
A study was conducted to clarify the usefulness of multiple cooling for patients by examining changes in deep body temperature, blood pressure, and heart rate variability. The study subjects were 3 males for whom multiple cooling was applied for relief of fever within the range 38.0－38.3℃. Subject 1 showed a decrease in deep body temperature of 0.4℃, but this was due to a natural temperature drop, and not to the multiple cooling treatment. The subject’s HF increased slightly (indicating relaxation), but blood pressure, heart rate, and other indicators remained stable. Subjects 2 and 3 showed no significant decrease in body temperature (+0.16℃and+0.29℃, respectively). Subject 2 showed a decrease in diastolic pressure and an increase in heart rate. Subject 3 showed an increase in blood pressure and variability of the heart rate.
