The Febrile Infant
ARNOLD L. SMITH MD1
1 Division of Infectious Disease, Children's Orthopedic Hospital and Medical Center, Seattle, Washington
Sorting out the child at risk, from those with illness that is not a threat to their health, is a fundamental goal of pediatrics. One of the most common complaints, which prompts us to initiate the sorting process, is fever. In the article by McCarthy (p 51), guidelines to aid in the sorting process are suggested.
Fever, an abnormal increase in core body temperature, results primarily from a decrease in heat loss; decreased trunk and extremity skin blood flow decreases the surface area available for convection and body heat loss decreases—mom feels the forehead or the face for increased temperature, areas less affected by thermoregulatory vasoconstriction.
