Fever in Critical Care

A review the physiology of fever, discuss the costs and benefits of fever in adult critically ill populations

The lecture duration is 36min.

0.75 CPD Points, 0.75 CEUs, 0.75 CME credits approval pending.
Accredited by CPDUK, CBRN and Provider Pending.

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Vininder Bains
Clinical Nurse Specialist for Critical Care at Providence Healthcare, Vancouver, Canada
Lecture Summary

There is no simple answer to the question of “should we treat fever and how?” Fever is a potent immune response that can be protective for some ICU patients, especially when therapeutic options are limited. Fever also comes at a significant metabolic cost, which critically ill patients may, or may not be able to tolerate. I will review the physiology of fever, discuss the costs and benefits of fever in adult critically ill populationsFever in Critical Care, and present available fever management strategies. While there is no simple answer, we can make more informed decisions about how and when to treat fever in critical illness.

Target Audience

Critical Care Nurses
Trainee Critical Care Doctors

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of this activity, you should be able to:

  • Explain the physiologic process of fever
  • Describe how two fever suppressive therapies (i.e., antipyretics and mechanical cooling) impact the physiologic process of fever
  • Summarize the costs and benefits of fever in the adult critically ill population
  • Summarize the costs and benefits of fever suppressive therapies in adult critically ill populations
  • Make decisions about when and how to manage fever that is informed by the critically ill patient’s unique, and evolving clinical context

None.