Postoperative Fever Evaluation in Surgical Patients

Postoperative fever is a frequent clinical finding that may reflect a benign inflammatory response or signal the onset of a serious complication. Temperatures exceeding 38 °C within the first 72 hours after surgery commonly result from surgical stress, tissue trauma and cytokine release. Beyond this window, fever raises concern for infectious processes such as wound or catheter-related infections, pneumonia or urinary tract involvement. A systematic approach integrates temporal patterns of fever, physical examination findings, laboratory biomarkers and imaging where appropriate. Early-onset fevers are often non-infectious and self-limiting, whereas late or persistent elevations warrant targeted investigations. Risk stratification incorporates patient factors (comorbidities, immunosuppression, nutritional status), procedure-related factors (duration, complexity, implant use) and perioperative management (drain removal, prophylactic antibiotics). Accurate differentiation between infectious and non-infectious fever guides the judicious use of antibiotics, minimises unnecessary diagnostic interventions and supports timely detection of complications, thereby optimising recovery and resource utilisation on a global scale.

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Postoperative Fever Evaluation in Surgical Patients publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in postoperative fever evaluation in surgical patients across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Postoperative fever: A body temperature of 38 °C or higher occurring after surgery, potentially resulting from inflammatory or infectious causes.

C-reactive protein: An acute-phase protein produced by the liver, used as a broad marker of inflammation and infection.

Leukocytosis: An elevation in white blood cell count reflecting immune activation, often accompanying infection.

Nomogram: A graphical calculation tool that integrates multiple variables to estimate the probability of a clinical outcome.

Drainage volume: The quantity of fluid collected via postoperative drains, used as a surrogate for surgical site inflammation or bleeding.

References

1. Postoperative fever after liver resection: Incidence, risk factors, and characteristics associated with febrile infectious complication. PLOS ONE (2022).
2. Temperature Measurement Timings and the Fever Detection Rate After Gastrointestinal Surgery: Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study. Interactive Journal of Medical Research (2024).