Unexplained Postoperative Fever

Abstract

This study of consecutive patients reveals that, during the first postoperative week, 55% of temperature elevations above 98.6 F (37 C) are unexplained. Further, only one patient of the 163 who had temperatures recorded for at least three postoperative days failed to demonstrate a temperature elevation. The mean temperatures of four groups of 20 consecutive patients who demonstrated unexplained elevations after four operations fell steadily from between 99.5 F (37.5 C) and 100.4 F (38 C) on the first postoperative day to between 98.6 F and 99.1 F (37.3 C) on the seventh. The maximum elevation was above 99.9 F (37.7 C) in 48 instances. Thirty-two patients who received halothane demonstrated a similar pattern to the 48 who did not. These data do not support the hypothesis that "unexplained postoperative fever" alone, following a prior administration of halothane, necessarily indicates that the patient has become sensitized to the drug.