Fever in brain death

ABSTRACT

Forty-one brain dead patients were included in this study. Information about age, sex, type of brain lesion and positive bacterial cultures was collected. Their temperature was recorded hourly from day 0 [day of brain stem testing] till they died [expired]. Two patients died [expired] on the same day of testing and the temperature of the remaining 39 patients was evaluated. Seven out of the 39 patients did not show any fever at all, while two patients were persistently febrile. The remaining 30 patients had some febrile bouts interchanging with the a febrile [normal and/or subnormal temperature] ones. So, the total number of patients who showed fever was 32 out of 39, whereas those who showed normal and/or subnormal temperature were 37 patients. Fever was not related to sex, type of brain lesion, positive bacterial cultures or the initial Glasgow coma scale [GCS] score. However, its pattern was related to age; young patients expressed more febrile bouts and their fever was maximally expressed more lately. Accordingly, fever in brain dead patients may not be as uncommon as previously suggested