O'Mara Susan K
Susan K. O'Mara, RN, MSN, is a DNP student at St. Francis University, Joliet, Illinois, and an advance practice nurse, Cardiac Surgery, at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, Park Ridge, Illinois. She Received MSN from Saint Louis University in 1980.
Dimens Crit Care Nurs. 2017 May/Jun;36(3):182-192. doi: 10.1097/DCC.0000000000000248.
Postoperative fever after cardiac surgery is a common occurrence. Most fevers are benign and self-limiting resulting from inflammation caused by surgical trauma and blood contact with cardiopulmonary bypass circuit resulting in the release of cytokines. Only a small percentage of time is postoperative fever due to an infection complicating surgery. The presence of fever frequently triggers a battery of diagnostic tests that are costly, could expose the patient to unnecessary risks, and can produce misleading or inconclusive results. It is therefore important that fever be evaluated in a systematic, prudent, clinically appropriate, and cost-effective manner. This article focuses on the current evidence regarding pathophysiology, incidence, causes, evaluation, and management of fever in postoperative adult cardiac surgical patients.
