Investigating the causes of fever in critically ill patients. Are you overlooking noninfectious causes?

Abstract

Fever is common in the ICU because of patients' underlying chronic and critical illnesses, their tendency to receive multiple medications, and their frequent need for invasive procedures. Precise data on the etiology of fever in the ICU are lacking. However, common noninfectious causes include postoperative fever, drug fever, intramuscular injections, hemorrhage, and pulmonary atelectasis. Urinary tract infection appears to be the most common infectious cause, followed by pneumonia and sepsis. Many noninfectious conditions are potentially life-threatening; nevertheless, it is crucial to first exclude an infectious cause, since an untreated infection may cause rapid deterioration.