44. Fever

Question 1

What is Fever?

Answer 1

Your body temperature is above normal.
Fever in children, mild 38–38.9°C, high 39–39.9°C, very high 40°C or higher.
Fever in Adults, mild 38–38.9°C, high 39–39.9°C, very high 40°C or higher fever.

Question 2

Triage(referring) signs and symptoms of pyrexia in a presenting patient?

Answer 2

Green:Response normally,stays awake, Normal skin and eyes,
Amber:Not responding normally, No smell, decreased activity,fever for 5 days,reduced urine outputs.
Red: Pale,weak,lethargic,No response sometime, very high fever.

Question 3

Have a brief discussion about some thermometers commonly used for measuring fever in adults and children?

Answer 3

Digital: best choice just Need to turn on and keep in the body for 2 min for reading.
Ear: not good for small babies and expensive.
Temporal artery thermometers: good for newborn or child. Better option than rectal digital thermometers.
Mercury thermometers old fashioned but danger if broken.

Question 4

Use the Traffic light triage system in pyrexia in adults and children?

Answer 4

For Adults referral:
Hallucinations
Vomiting
A skin rash
A rapid heart rate
A stiff neck (they’re unable to put their chin on their chest or have pain when moving their neck forward)
For Children referral:
Very high fever (over 40ºC)
Are still feverish after three days of home treatment, or getting sicker
Are shivering or shaking uncontrollably or have chattering teeth
Have a severe headache that does not get better after taking painkillers
Are breathing differently or having trouble breathing
Are getting confused, drowsy or you can’t wake them up properly
Seems floppy or complains of leg pain.