What rationale of giving tepid sponge bath to patients with fever?

Answer 1

Giving a tepid sponge bath to patients with fever helps to reduce body temperature by promoting heat loss through evaporation. The lukewarm water helps to cool the skin and lower the body temperature gradually, preventing shock from rapid temperature changes. Additionally, the physical act of bathing can provide comfort and promote relaxation for the patient, aiding in the overall management of fever.

Answer 2

Giving a cold sponge bath to patients with fever will trick heat and temp receptors in the skin to think that the environment outside of the body is going to make the body temp itself lower. In this case vasoconstriction of the periphreal blood vessels occur which minimises heat loss from the skin as the blood is diverted from skin capillaries and drawn into the deeper tissues, shivering will also occur in aids of the skeletal muscle trying to create heat. By giving a patient a cold sponge bath will be doing more harm by increasing the fever itself. By giving a tepid sponge bath, the body will react to the sponge bath as a warmer hypothelamic set point meaning heat and temp receptors in the skin will recognise this as the environment outside of the body being warmer than that inside. In order to regulate this heat sweat glands are activated to cool the body by vapourization of perspiration and the vasodilation of the blood vessels; meaning the blood vessels dilate allowing the skin blood capillaries to flush the warm blood via radiation. This action decreases fever.