title: Body temperature abnormalities in non-neurological critically ill patients: a review of the literature.
abstract: Body temperature abnormalities, which occur because of several infectious and non-infectious etiologies, are among the most commonly noted symptoms of critically ill patients. These abnormalities frequently trigger changes in patient management. The purpose of this article was to review the contemporary literature investigating the definition and occurrence of body temperature abnormalities in addition to their impact on illness severity and mortality in critically ill non-neurological patients, particularly in patients with severe sepsis. Reports on the influence of fever on outcomes are inconclusive, and the presence of fever per se may not contribute to increased mortality in critically ill patients. In patients with severe sepsis, the impacts of elevated body temperature and hypothermia on mortality and the severity of physiologic decline are different. Hypothermia is significantly associated with an increased risk of mortality. In contrast, elevated body temperature may not be associated with increased disease severity or risk of mortality. In patients with severe sepsis, the effect of fever and fever control on outcomes requires further research.
authors.affiliation: Division of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Seiryo-machi 2-1, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8574 Japan ; Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Seiryo-machi 1-1, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8574 Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kushimoto
authors.affiliation: Division of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Seiryo-machi 2-1, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8574 Japan ; Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Seiryo-machi 1-1, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8574 Japan.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamanouchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Seiryo-machi 1-1, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8574 Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Seiryo-machi 1-1, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8574 Japan.
authors.forename: Takeaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Seiryo-machi 1-1, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8574 Japan.
authors.forename: Ryosuke
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nomura
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Seiryo-machi 1-1, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8574 Japan.
authors.forename: Motoo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Seiryo-machi 1-1, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8574 Japan.
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kudo
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Seiryo-machi 1-1, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8574 Japan.
authors.forename: Taku
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Omura
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Seiryo-machi 1-1, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8574 Japan.
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Miyagawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Seiryo-machi 1-1, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8574 Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sato
keywords: Critical care; Fever; Hypothermia; Severe sepsis