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Abstract: A mother brought her 23-day-old child to the fever clinic with a temperature of 38°C. Her head was hot, the ends of her hands and feet were slightly cool, her mental reaction and milk intake were basically normal, her throat was red and swollen, and she had mild nasal congestion. He was diagnosed with neonatal fever after asking for medical history that the mother had symptoms of cold and fever in the past two days and was currently breastfeeding. He was diagnosed with neonatal fever. He was advised to suspend breast-feeding and give physical cooling, and his body temperature gradually returned to normal.
Basic information】Male, 23 days
Disease Type】Neonatal fever
Hospital】Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital
Date of Consultation】January 2022
Treatment plan】Suspension of breastfeeding + physical cooling (cold towels wrapped in ice cubes)
[Treatment Period] 3 days of home treatment, followed by outpatient checkup after 3 days
Treatment effect】Temperature returned to normal, condition under control
I. Initial consultation
A mother came to the fever clinic with her 23-day-old child in her arms and measured the temperature at 38℃. The child’s mental response was good, his breathing was stable, his cardiopulmonary auscultation was not special, his pharynx was slightly red, and his nose was mildly stuffy. The child’s mother had symptoms of cold and fever in the past two days, and was diagnosed with viral infection, and was still breastfeeding. The results of routine blood tests were basically normal. It was considered that the mother had a cold and transmitted the virus to the baby during breastfeeding, which led to the newborn fever, but the condition of the baby was probably not very serious, so the relevant indexes were not significantly abnormal and the body temperature was not too high.
II. Treatment
In the course of home care, the room temperature was controlled at 22℃-26℃, with proper ventilation and less unnecessary movement of people. During the neonatal period, the importance of physical cooling was emphasized. Cold towels wrapped in ice could be applied to the forehead, both sides of the neck, and the groin area, where large blood vessels usually travel, helping to carry away heat. If the mother has a cold and fever, hold off on breastfeeding for a while and switch to formula feeding. When the rest of the family comes back from outside, the first thing to do is brush teeth, rinse mouth, wash face, hands, and change coats before making contact with the child. During this period, monitor the child’s body temperature and observe his or her mental state, feeding and bowel movements.
Effect of treatment
After 3 days of home care and physical cooling, the child’s body temperature gradually returned to normal, basically at 36℃-37℃, the nasal congestion was relieved, the redness and congestion of the pharynx gradually disappeared, there was no abnormal crying, and there was no abnormality in feeding, mental state and defecation. The parents were asked to bring the child to the pediatric outpatient clinic for a follow-up visit three days later. The results of laboratory tests such as routine blood tests showed that the child’s condition was under control and there were no other uncomfortable symptoms.
IV. Notes
After careful care and physical cooling treatment, the child’s body temperature returned to normal and her health was restored, so the doctor was happy to see her. However, the mother of the child should be advised that because the immune function of this special group of newborns is not yet perfect, they are susceptible to cold and infection, which can lead to fever, so they need to be taken seriously. Don’t take your child to places with a lot of traffic, and pay attention to cleaning your child when your family comes back from outside before touching him or her. Do not let fans and air conditioners blow directly on the child to avoid catching a cold, which can lead to fever.
V. Personal insight
Fever in newborns is a relatively common situation, fever itself is the body’s active immune response, so parents do not need to panic, pay attention to the child’s body temperature monitoring, timely heat treatment, and closely observe the condition. If the child’s temperature does not go down or there is a recurring situation, it is recommended to go to the hospital in a timely manner, as in the case of the child, to improve the relevant examination, to clarify which causes, usually common causes are caused by digestive tract infections, in a few cases may be urinary system diseases, neurological diseases and other causes of fever.