Fever Management in Intensive Care Patients with Infections

Fever is one of the cardinal signs of infection and, nearly 120 years after William Osler’s statement in his address to the 47(th) annual meeting of the American Medical Association [1], infectious diseases remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Despite this, it is unclear whether fever itself is truly the enemy or whether, in fact, the febrile response represents an important means to help the body fight infection. Furthermore, it is unclear whether the administration of antipyretic medications or physical cooling measures to patients with fever and infection is beneficial or harmful [2, 3]. Here, we review the biology of fever, the significance of the febrile response in animals and humans, and the current evidence-base regarding the utility of treating fever in intensive care patients with infectious diseases.