Fatal fever of unknown origin in acute cervical spinal cord injury: five cases.
OBJECTIVE
Patients with traumatic upper thoracic and cervical spinal cord injuries are at increased risk for the development of autonomic dysfunction, including thermodysregulation. Thermoregulation is identified as an autonomic function, although the exact mechanisms of thermodysregulation have not been completely recognized. Quad fever is a hyperthermic thermoregulatory disorder that occurs in people with acute cervical and upper thoracic spinal cord injuries. First described in 1982, it has not been widely discussed in the literature.


METHODS
Case reports of 5 patients with cervical spinal cord injury (SCI).


RESULTS
Five of 18 patients (28%) with acute cervical SCI who were admitted during a 1-year period had fatal complications caused by persistent hyperthermia of unknown origin.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with acute traumatic cervical and upper thoracic SCI are at risk for thermoregulatory dysfunction. Changes in the hypothalamic axis may be implicated, especially in the light of modification in hypothalamic afferent nerves, but this hypothesis has not yet been explored. Thermodysregulation may be an early sign of autonomic dysfunction. A comprehensive guideline is needed for the management of elevated body temperature in critically ill patients with cervical SCI, because this condition may be fatal.
Ulger
Fatma
F
Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Ondokuz Mayis University, Kurupelit, Samsun, Turkey.
Dilek
Ahmet
A
Karakaya
Deniz
D
Senel
Alparslan
A
Sarihasan
Binnur
B
D000328:Adult; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D005334:Fever / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality