The large number of patients being treated for infection without a high fever suggests that many could be ideal candidates for a clinical trial investigating induced hyperthermia (purposely raising body temperature) as a potential therapy.

This was a prospective observational study conducted in a Wellington ICU over a 3-month period in 2024.

The study revealed that 43.3% of all unplanned ICU admissions resulted in treatment for an infection.

The study also tracked the “fever deficit” (time spent below 38.3C), which was high across all groups, indicating that most patients spent a significant amount of time below the fever threshold.

Participants: 200 consecutive adult patients admitted to the ICU due to unplanned admissions.

Exclusions: Patients with pre-existing brain injury or seizures were excluded.

Main Goal: To determine the proportion of unplanned ICU admissions that involved treating an infection within 14 days and to analyze the body temperature of these patients when treatment started.

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