Body temperature trends of critically Ill patients on continuous renal replacement therapy: A single-center retrospective study

Abstract

BackgroundInterpretation of human body temperature in patients on continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is challenging. Clinicians currently use definitions of ‘normal’ temperature derived from healthy patients over a century ago and apply these definitions to patients on continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). There is a significant opportunity to refine temperature definitions to apply to the increasing population of critically ill patients on CRRT. MethodsA total of 1361 critically ill patients admitted to the hospital between 12/1/2006 and 11/31/2015 and requiring CRRT were studied. Temperature data were summarized (median, IQR) and compared during time periods that patients were on CRRT and time periods that they were not on CRRT using paired comparisons. Additionally, analyses were performed to compare temperature dynamics between patients who died during their hospitalization with those who did not. ResultsThe median body temperature change was −0.6 °C (95% CI −1.3, −0.6) from 12 h before CRRT to 12 h after CRRT (p < .001), and an increase of 0.6 °C (95% CI 0.2, 0.6) from 12 h before CRRT end to 12 h after CRRT end (p < .001). Temperature significantly increased by a median 0.3 °C from the start to the end of CRRT. ConclusionsThere are significant body temperature changes in critically ill patients on CRRT with cooling at the time of CRRT initiation and warming at the time of CRRT cessation.