Admission Body Temperature in Critically Ill Patients as an Independent Risk Predictor for Overall Outcome

• Published in: Medical principles and practice Vol. 29; no. 4; pp. 389 - 395
• Main Authors: Erkens, Ralf , Wernly, Bernhard , Masyuk, Maryna , Muessig, Johanna M., Franz, Marcus, Schulze, Paul Christian, Lichtenauer, Michael , Kelm, Malte, Jung, Christian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel, Switzerland S. Karger AG 01.07.2020
• Subjects: Acute coronary syndromes; Body temperature; Catecholamines; Fever; Heart rate; Hyperthermia; Hypothermia; Illnesses; Intensive care; Laboratories; Medical prognosis; Mortality; Original Paper; Physiology; Pneumonia; Regression analysis; Sepsis; Software; Statistical analysis; Admission body temperature; Risk predictor; Prognostication; Intensive care unit; Risk stratification; Critically ill patients
• ISSN: 1011-7571; 1423-0151; 1423-0151
• DOI: 10.1159/000505126

Introduction: Body temperature (BT) abnormalities are frequently observed in critically ill patients. We aimed to assess admission BT in a heterogeneous critically ill patient population admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) as a prognostic parameter for intra-ICU and long-term mortality. Methods: A total of 6,514 medical patients (64 ± 15 years) admitted to a German ICU between 2004 and 2009 were included. A follow-up of patients was performed retrospectively. The association of admission BT with both intra-ICU and long-term mortality was investigated by logistic regression. Results: Patients with hypothermia (<36°C BT) were clinically worse and had more pronounced signs of multi-organ failure. Admission BT was associated with adverse overall outcome, with a 2-fold increase for hyperthermia (mortality 12%; odds ratio [OR] 1.80, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.43–2.26; p < 0.001), and a 4-fold increase for the risk of hypothermia (mortality 24%; OR 4.05, 95% CI 3.38–4.85; p < 0.001) with respect to intra-ICU and long-term mortality. Moreover, hypothermia was even more harmful than hyperthermia, and both were strongly associated with intra-ICU mortality, especially in patients admitted with acute coronary syndrome (hypothermia: hazard ratio 6.12, 95% CI 4.12–9.11; p < 0.001; hyperthermia: OR 2.70, 95% CI 1.52–4.79; p< 0.001). Conclusion: Admission BT is an independent risk predictor for both overall intra-ICU and long-term mortality in critically ill patients admitted to an ICU. Therefore, BT at admission might not only serve as a parameter for individual risk stratification but can also influence individual therapeutic decision-making.