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Fever in the Emergency Department Predicts Survival of Patients With Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock Admitted to the ICU

Sundén-Cullberg, Jonas ; Rylance, Rebecca LU ; Svefors, Jesper ; Norrby-Teglund, Anna ; Björk, Jonas LU and Inghammar, Malin LU (2017) In Critical Care Medicine 45(4). p.591-599
Abstract

OBJECTIVES:: To study the prognostic value of fever in the emergency department in septic patients subsequently admitted to the ICU. DESIGN:: Observational cohort study from the Swedish national quality register for sepsis. SETTING:: Thirty ICU’s in Sweden. PATIENTS:: Two thousand two hundred twenty-five adults who were admitted to an ICU within 24 hours of hospital arrival with a diagnosis of severe sepsis or septic shock were included. INTERVENTIONS:: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:: Body temperature was measured and classified according to four categories (< 37°C, 37–38.29°C, 38.3–39.5°C, ≥ 39.5°C). The main outcome was in-hospital mortality. Odds ratios for mortality according to body temperature were estimated using... (More)

OBJECTIVES:: To study the prognostic value of fever in the emergency department in septic patients subsequently admitted to the ICU. DESIGN:: Observational cohort study from the Swedish national quality register for sepsis. SETTING:: Thirty ICU’s in Sweden. PATIENTS:: Two thousand two hundred twenty-five adults who were admitted to an ICU within 24 hours of hospital arrival with a diagnosis of severe sepsis or septic shock were included. INTERVENTIONS:: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:: Body temperature was measured and classified according to four categories (< 37°C, 37–38.29°C, 38.3–39.5°C, ≥ 39.5°C). The main outcome was in-hospital mortality. Odds ratios for mortality according to body temperature were estimated using multivariable logistic regression. Subgroup analyses were conducted according to age, sex, underlying comorbidity, and time to given antibiotics. Overall mortality was 25%. More than half of patients had a body temperature below 38.3°C. Mortality was inversely correlated with temperature and decreased, on average, more than 5% points per °C increase, from 50% in those with the lowest temperatures to 9% in those with the highest. Increased body temperature in survivors was also associated with shorter hospital stays. Patients with fever received better quality of care, but the inverse association between body temperature and mortality was robust and remained consistent after adjustment for quality of care measures and other factors that could have confounded the association. Among vital signs, body temperature was best at predicting mortality. CONCLUSIONS:: Contrary to common perceptions and current guidelines for care of critically ill septic patients, increased body temperature in the emergency department was strongly associated with lower mortality and shorter hospital stays in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock subsequently admitted to the ICU.

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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Critical Care Medicine
volume
45
issue
4
pages
591 - 599
publisher
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
external identifiers
  • scopus:85011301346
  • pmid:28141683
  • wos:000396798700004
ISSN
0090-3493
DOI
10.1097/CCM.0000000000002249
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
fed2f1fd-b4f0-41b3-9773-672c8bc6cce0
date added to LUP
2017-02-14 13:31:08
date last changed
2024-04-14 04:02:14
@article{fed2f1fd-b4f0-41b3-9773-672c8bc6cce0,
  abstract     = {{<p>OBJECTIVES:: To study the prognostic value of fever in the emergency department in septic patients subsequently admitted to the ICU. DESIGN:: Observational cohort study from the Swedish national quality register for sepsis. SETTING:: Thirty ICU’s in Sweden. PATIENTS:: Two thousand two hundred twenty-five adults who were admitted to an ICU within 24 hours of hospital arrival with a diagnosis of severe sepsis or septic shock were included. INTERVENTIONS:: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:: Body temperature was measured and classified according to four categories (&lt; 37°C, 37–38.29°C, 38.3–39.5°C, ≥ 39.5°C). The main outcome was in-hospital mortality. Odds ratios for mortality according to body temperature were estimated using multivariable logistic regression. Subgroup analyses were conducted according to age, sex, underlying comorbidity, and time to given antibiotics. Overall mortality was 25%. More than half of patients had a body temperature below 38.3°C. Mortality was inversely correlated with temperature and decreased, on average, more than 5% points per °C increase, from 50% in those with the lowest temperatures to 9% in those with the highest. Increased body temperature in survivors was also associated with shorter hospital stays. Patients with fever received better quality of care, but the inverse association between body temperature and mortality was robust and remained consistent after adjustment for quality of care measures and other factors that could have confounded the association. Among vital signs, body temperature was best at predicting mortality. CONCLUSIONS:: Contrary to common perceptions and current guidelines for care of critically ill septic patients, increased body temperature in the emergency department was strongly associated with lower mortality and shorter hospital stays in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock subsequently admitted to the ICU.</p>}},
  author       = {{Sundén-Cullberg, Jonas and Rylance, Rebecca and Svefors, Jesper and Norrby-Teglund, Anna and Björk, Jonas and Inghammar, Malin}},
  issn         = {{0090-3493}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{01}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{591--599}},
  publisher    = {{Lippincott Williams & Wilkins}},
  series       = {{Critical Care Medicine}},
  title        = {{Fever in the Emergency Department Predicts Survival of Patients With Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock Admitted to the ICU}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/CCM.0000000000002249}},
  doi          = {{10.1097/CCM.0000000000002249}},
  volume       = {{45}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}