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New Fever in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit Patient

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Abstract

Fever is defined as an increase in core body temperature above 38.3 °C (101 °F). It can be considered part of the body’s adaptive and regulated response to infection, trauma, and tissue injury, or it can be considered maladaptive and dysregulated, as when caused by a drug side effect, venous thrombosis, thyroid storm, or a neurological injury. Fever has been shown to enhance the immune response to invading pathogens, while on the other hand, fever increases cardiac output, oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, and energy expenditure, which can have untoward effects in those with poor cardiopulmonary reserve, those suffering from neurologic insult, and pregnant patients. Determining the etiology of fever and the appropriate clinical treatment is therefore an important element in improving outcomes for critically ill patients.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA

    Evan Ross

  2. Dell Seton Medical Center at University of Texas, Surgical Intensive Care Unit, Austin, TX, USA

    Deidra Allison

  3. Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Baptist Memorial Health Care & The University of Tennessee Health Science Center – Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA

    Athena Hobbs

  4. Department of Surgery, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA

    Ben Coopwood

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  1. Evan Ross
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  2. Deidra Allison
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  3. Athena Hobbs
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  4. Ben Coopwood
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Correspondence to Ben Coopwood .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Brigham and Womens’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Ali Salim

  2. Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA

    Carlos Brown

  3. Division of Trauma Surgery, Rm C5L100, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA

    Kenji Inaba

  4. Trauma and Emergency Surgery Service, Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, Portland, Oregon, USA

    Matthew J. Martin

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Ross, E., Allison, D., Hobbs, A., Coopwood, B. (2018). New Fever in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit Patient. In: Salim, A., Brown, C., Inaba, K., Martin, M. (eds) Surgical Critical Care Therapy . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71712-8_43

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71712-8_43

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