Table 1.
Causes of postoperative fever classified by type of surgery and day of fever onset.
| Cause of fever | Overall (N = 102) | Type of surgery |
Day of fever onset |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cranial (N = 76) | Spinal (N = 26) | Early postoperative (Days 0–1) | Intermediate postoperative (Days 2–7) | Late postoperative (Day 8 and later) | ||
| UTI | 14 (13.7%) | 10 | 4 | 3 (9.1%) | 8 (16.7%) | 3 (19%) |
| Aseptic meningitis | 11 (10.8%) | 11 | – | 2 (3%) | 5 (10.4%) | 4 (14.3%) |
| Wound infection | 8 (7.8%) | 5 | 3 | – | 2 (4.2%) | 6 (28.5%) |
| Pneumonia | 6 (5.8%) | 5 | 1 | 2 (6.1%) | 4 (8.3%) | – |
| Unclassified | 5 (4.9%) | 5 | – | 4 (8.3%) | 1 (4.8%) | |
| Bacterial meningitis | 4 (3.9%) | 4 | – | 3 (9.1%) | – | 1 (4.8%) |
| Thrombophlebitis | 3 (2.9%) | 3 | – | – | 2 (4.2%) | 1 (4.8%) |
| COVID-19 | 2 (1.9%) | 0* | 2 | – | 2 (4.2%) | 0* |
| Multiple foci | 2 (1.9%) | 2 | – | – | 2 (4.2%) | – |
| Catheter-associated blood stream infection (CABSI) | 1 (1%) | 1 | – | – | – | 1 (4.8%) |
| Miscellaneous | 6 (5.8%) | 6 | – | 3 (9.1%) | – | 3 (14.3%) |
| Transient elevated temperature (TET) | 40 (39.2%) | 25 | 15 | 20 (60.6%) | 19 (39.5%) | 1 (4.8%) |
| Total | 102 | 76 | 26 | 33 | 48 | 21 |
*One patient had postoperative COVID infection 31 days after surgery incidentally detected on preoperative testing for a VP shunt.