The agreement of fingertip and sternum capillary refill time in children.

Objectives: To determine the agreement of fingertip and sternum capillary refill time (CRT) in children.

Design: Prospective, method-comparison study.

Setting: Single children's emergency department, UK PARTICIPANTS: 92 children aged 0-12 years, with clinical observations within normal ranges for their age, no relevant medical history and presenting to hospital with a minor illness or injury.

Fever management: evaluating the use of ibuprofen and paracetamol.

Paracetamol and ibuprofen are safe and effective medications for reducing a fever in children and young people and they are often administered together with a view to reducing a temperature quickly. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines dictate that only one of these drugs should be given at a time because there is no evidence to suggest that simultaneous use is more effective. This article summarises a literature search of randomised controlled trials carried out to identify which, if either, of these drugs is faster at reducing a fever.