Postoperative Fever in Pediatric Orthopaedic Patients

Abstract

Fever in hospitalized patients causes a great deal of concern. Its value in predicting complications, however, is questionable. For this reason, a retrospective analysis was performed on 200 records of children's orthopaedic admissions. Demographic data, wound status, fever work-up, and daily peak temperatures were recorded. There were 174 patients who underwent surgical procedures and 26 patients who did not have surgery. Seventy-three percent (127/174) of the surgical patients had postoperative fever [temperature >38°C (100.4°F)]. Twenty-seven percent of the nonsurgical patients had fever. There were only three acute complications—one pneumonia and two wound infections. Complications were easily diagnosed by clinical means. In postoperative patients, the accuracy in predicting complications was 28%. Postoperative fever is a poor predictor of complications, and, therefore, should not delay discharge or indicate investigation for sepsis.