title: Effects of fever on haemodynamic parameters in neurosurgical intensive care unit patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of fever on the haemodynamic parameters (pulse rate, arterial oxygen saturation, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and mean arterial blood pressure) of patients in a neurosurgical intensive care unit.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective, repeated-measures study.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was performed in the neurosurgical intensive care unit of a University Hospital in the West of Turkey. The research sample included all patients with at least two occurrences of fever in the postoperative period. Body temperature and haemodynamic parameters of patients were measured on admission, one hour before the onset of fever and during fever (peak temperature).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Increase of body temperature during fever episodes was followed by a significant increase in pulse rate (p = 0.001) with significant decreases in systolic blood pressure (p = 0.002) and arterial oxygen saturation (p = 0.001). Furthermore fever episodes were followed by a non-significant increase in diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.074) and a non-significant decrease in mean arterial blood pressure (p = 0.097). In this study, a degree celsius (1 °C) increase in body temperature, was associated with a decline of 4.43 mmHg in systolic blood pressure, 0.166 mmHg mean arterial blood pressure and 0.64% arterial oxygen saturation, respectively. It was also associated with an increase of 1.61 mmHg in diastolic arterial blood pressure and 7.46 beats/per minute pulse rate, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings from this research have demonstrated the effects that fever can have on haemodynamic parameters of patients in one neurosurgical intensive care unit. Hence the study highlights the importance for intensive care unit (ICU) nurses to appreciate the physiological effects of fever which have the potential to cause complications in febrile patients. Increasing knowledge about the effects of fever on haemodynamic parameters can therefore be of benefit to nurses in terms of quality and efficacy of patient care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Nursing, Aydin Health School, Adnan Menderes University, Aydin, Turkey. Electronic address: hasgarpour23@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Asgar Pour
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey. Electronic address: meryem.yavuz@ege.edu.tr.
authors.forename: Meryem
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yavuz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003422:Critical Care; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology*; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014421:Turkey
keywords: Fever; Haemodynamic parameters; Neurosurgical intensive care unit