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©The Author(s) 2025.
World J Crit Care Med. Sep 9, 2025; 14(3): 106496
Published online Sep 9, 2025. doi: 10.5492/wjccm.v14.i3.106496
Published online Sep 9, 2025. doi: 10.5492/wjccm.v14.i3.106496
Table 3 Clinical and laboratory characteristics at fever onset
| Parameter | Total (n = 80) | Infectious (n = 34) | Non-infectious (n = 31) | P value |
| Time to fever onset post-hospitalization (days), median (IQR) | 5 (3-8) | 5 (3.75-9) | 5 (3-7) | 0.229 |
| Temperature (F), mean ± SD | 101.6 ± 0.7 | 101.7 ± 0.8 | 101.5 ± 0.7 | 0.714 |
| Pulse rate (per minute), mean ± SD | 104.2 ± 20.6 | 109.0 ± 23.4 | 100.0 ± 16.0 | 0.079 |
| Tachycardia, n (%) | 36 (45) | 18 (52.9) | 12 (38.7) | 0.250 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg), mean ± SD | 127.9 ± 21.9 | 128.8 ± 23.6 | 126.3 ± 21.2 | 0.655 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg), mean ± SD | 76.8 ± 12.9 | 79.5 ± 14.5 | 74.4 ± 11.2 | 0.118 |
| Mean arterial pressure (mmHg), mean ± SD | 93.8 ± 14.6 | 95.9 ± 16.3 | 91.67 ± 13.7 | 0.262 |
| Glasgow coma scale, median (IQR) | 10 (8-11) | 10 (8-14.3) | 9 (7.0-11.0) | 0.185 |
| Intensive organ support requirement | ||||
| Mechanical ventilation, n (%) | 64 (80) | 28 (82.4) | 24 (77.4) | 0.619 |
| Vasopressor therapy, n (%) | 11 (13.8) | 5 (14.7) | 4 (12.9) | 1.000 |
| Hemodialysis, n (%) | 8 (10) | 5 (14.7) | 0 (0) | 0.054 |
| In-situ catheters or tubes, n (%) | ||||
| Urinary catheters | 72 (90) | 31 (91.2) | 29 (93.5) | 1.000 |
| Endotracheal tubes | 64 (80) | 28 (82.4) | 24 (77.4) | 0.619 |
| Nasogastric tubes | 64 (80) | 29 (85.3) | 24 (77.4) | 0.414 |
| Central lines | 25 (31.3) | 9 (26.5) | 5 (16.1) | 0.311 |
| Non-tunnelled dialysis catheters | 7 (8.8) | 4 (11.8) | 0 (0) | 0.115 |
| Percutaneous catheters | 6 (7.5) | 3 (8.8) | 1 (3.2) | 0.614 |
| Laboratory investigations | ||||
| Hemoglobin (g/L), mean ± SD | 110.7 ± 27.4 | 109.0 ± 28.2 | 109.6 ± 28.1 | 0.933 |
| Platelet count (per μL), median (IQR) | 165500 (109250-230250) | 168000 (125500-237250) | 198000 (110000-254000) | 0.590 |
| Total leucocyte count (per μL), median (IQR) | 12640 (10005-18842) | 12490 (9500-19165) | 14420 (1.280-23400) | 0.123 |
| Leukocytosis, n (%) | 54 (67.5) | 22 (64.7) | 23 (74.2) | 0.408 |
| Neutrophils (%), mean ± SD | 82.7 ± 7.0 | 82.2 ± 6.4 | 84.3 ± 6.2 | 0.199 |
| Lymphocytes (%), mean ± SD | 8.2 ± 4.4 | 8.2 ± 4.1 | 7.8 ± 4.4 | 0.610 |
| Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, median (IQR) | 10.6 (7.2-20.7) | 10.5 (6.5-18.7) | 12.0 (7.4-23.7) | 0.470 |
| Sodium (mmol/L), mean ± SD | 141.0 ± 8.2 | 140.2 ± 7.2 | 142.0 ± 8.7 | 0.368 |
| Blood urea (mmol/L), median (IQR) | 8.7 (5.1-15.4) | 6.8 (4.4-11.2) | 9.2 (5.0-16.3) | 0.164 |
| Creatinine (mol/L), median (IQR) | 91.1 (61.9-209.7) | 97.2 (57.5-296.1) | 92.9 (61.9-210.4) | 0.478 |
| Bilirubin (mol/L), median (IQR) | 13.5 (6.8-23.6) | 12.6 (8.6-27.4) | 13.5 (6.7-20.0) | 0.454 |
| Aspartate transaminase (U/L), median (IQR) | 45.7 (25.9-87.8) | 44.5 (28.3-85.9) | 49.5 (23.0-102.0) | 0.984 |
| Alanine transaminase (U/L), median (IQR) | 32.1 (17.5-69.3) | 35.1 (19.8-57.0) | 29.2 (16.2-74.0) | 0.778 |
| Alkaline phosphatase (U/L), median (IQR) | 101 (75.3-132.8) | 92.5 (71-123.3) | 103 (75.5-133.5) | 0.711 |
| Total protein (g/L), mean ± SD | 63.9 ± 10.3 | 62.2 ± 9.7 | 64.4 ± 11.5 | 0.418 |
| Albumin (g/L), mean ± SD | 31.6 ± 5.8 | 31.2 ± 5.7 | 31.4 ± 5.6 | 0.863 |
- Citation: Saini S, Pahil S, Mohindra R, Sachdeva N, Sharma N, Pannu AK. Diagnostic utility of sepsis screening tools, procalcitonin, and C-reactive protein in nosocomial fever of unknown origin. World J Crit Care Med 2025; 14(3): 106496
- URL: https://www.wjgnet.com/2220-3141/full/v14/i3/106496.htm
- DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.5492/wjccm.v14.i3.106496