The Korean Journal of Internal Medicine

Current Clinical Practice: Korean J Med. 2015;88(6):658-662. Published online June 1, 2015.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3904/kjm.2015.88.6.658; 중환자실에서 발생하는 발열에 대한 평가; 윤나라; 조선대학교 의과대학/의학전문대학원 내과학교실 감염내과; Evaluation of Fever in the Intensive Care Unit; Na Ra Yun; Division of Infectious disease, Department of Internal Medicine, Chosun University School of Medicine, Gwangju, Korea; Corresponding author: Na Ra Yun ,Tel: +82-62-220-3093, Fax: +82-62-234-9653, Email: shine@chosun.ac.kr

Abstract: Fever is a common and serious problem in patients in the intensive care unit (ICU), but its cause is sometimes difficult to determine. Such fevers may be infectious or noninfectious. Infectious causes include ventilator-associated pneumonia, intravascular catheter-related infection, surgical site infection, catheter-related urinary tract infection, and Clostridium difficile infection. Noninfectious causes include transfusion reaction, drug fever, acute pancreatitis, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, adrenal insufficiency, and hyperthyroidism. The medical history should be reviewed carefully and a physical examination performed whenever fever occurs in patients in the ICU.

Keywords :Fever, Intensive care units, Infection, Anti-bacterial agents