Vininder Bains: "Fever in Critical Care"

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, benefits of fever in adult critically ill populations, 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.