Cooling compresses must be changed as soon as the patient indicates that he feels oppressed or irritated by the heat.
As a general rule, packs on the legs may be left on feverish patients twice as long as packs on the upper parts of the body.
No fever being apparent, the abdominal pack may be changed after about 2½ hours, the leg pack after 5 hours, and even not at all during the night. Packs should be renewed according to requirements of the individual patient, not in accordance with fixed rules.
Great care must be exercised to fasten the packs well and tightly. This is usually done with good strong safety pins; these should be fastened perpendicularly, or at right angles to the length of the material.
When changing the pack on feverish patients who are to receive an ablution or a bath two or three times a day, all pins must be loosened under the bedcovers so that the pack may be removed quickly.
If ablutions only are to be given, the pack is removed gradually as the respective parts of the body are to be washed.
When the fever is moderate, there should be ablutions morning and evening, or a bath in the morning and an ablution in the evening.
When packs are applied only at night, patients require only an ablution in the morning.
If the packs are not renewed, an ablution must follow the removal. This refreshes and strengthens the skin, closes the wide open pores and prevents taking cold.
Dissolving packs, if annoying at night, may be removed under the bedcovers without an ablution.