Changes in body temperature of critically ill patients submitted to bed bathing: a crossover clinical trial.

Lídia Miranda Brinati,Bárbara Xavier dos Santos,Laylla Meireles de Souza,Patrícia de Oliveira Salgado,Luana Vieira Toledo,Flávia Falci Ercole,Carla de Fátima Januário

doi:10.1590/0034-7167-2020-0969

Lídia Miranda Brinati, Bárbara Xavier dos Santos + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7167-2020-0969

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Abstract

to compare tympanic and axillary body temperature values of critical patients before and after the traditional and dry bed bath. this is a randomized, open crossover clinical trial conducted with 50 adult critical patients. All patients received both types of bed bathing. The tympanic and axillary temperature values were measured at the beginning and end of the baths. The Wilcoxon test or paired Student's t test was used. elderly and male patients predominated. There was no significant difference between tympanic temperature medians measured during the traditional bed bath (p=0.707) and dry bath (p=0.101). Axillary temperature means reduced at the end of the baths (p=0.001), being 36.12ºC in the traditional bath and 35.92ºC in dry bath. bed bath, regardless of the method used, caused a reduction in critical patients' axillary temperature.

Highlights

In nursing practice, the measurement of body temperature is part of the assessment of critical patients’health status, assisting professionals in the definition of diagnoses and therapeutic actions[1]
The sample consisted of 50 patients, who received the traditional and dry bed bath (Figure 1)
Regarding the severity of patients’ clinical picture measured by SAPS III, it was found that the mean score was 54.56 points (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

The measurement of body temperature is part of the assessment of critical patients’health status, assisting professionals in the definition of diagnoses and therapeutic actions[1]. Among the non-invasive forms, the tympanic temperature (TT), Obtained from an infrared thermometer positioned in the ear canal, is the one that presents greater accuracy and precision, possibly related to the proximity to the hypothalamus region[1]. In clinical practice, it is observed that, in most Intensive Care Units (ICUs), the axillary temperature values (AT) Are still used as a parameter for the definition of nursing diagnoses related to thermoregulation[6]. This measurement method has its practicality and low cost as advantages, it has less accuracy as disadvantages[7]

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