title: Anesthetic management of the parturient with fever and infection.
abstract: Fever is a common clinical problem in labor and delivery suites. It can result from a variety of infectious microorganisms, tissue trauma, malignancy, drug administration, and endocrine and immunologic disorders. Infection is the most common cause of fever, reflecting the effect of pyrogens on the hypothalamus. The diagnosis of infection in pregnancy often raises questions about the safety of regional anesthesia in febrile patients. Despite this concern, and lack of universal guidelines, it has now been well established that the presence of infection and fever in labor does not always contraindicate the administration of regional anesthesia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, University of California-San Diego, UCSD Medical Center, 402 Dickinson Street, San Diego, CA 92103-8812, USA. kkuczkowski@ucsd.edu
authors.forename: Krzysztof M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Kuczkowski
authors.forename: Laurence S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Reisner
mesh_terms: D015360:Analgesia, Epidural; D000773:Anesthesia, Obstetrical; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007744:Obstetric Labor Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D012772:Shock, Septic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000628:therapy