Should We Measure Body Temperature for Patients Who Have Recently Undergone Surgery?

Vermeulen et al. [1] have conducted a study of postoperative temperature measurements, and once again it has been found that such measurements are of very little use for detecting postoperative infections or treating patients who have had recent surgery. Although this topic has been examined at least 30 times previously in the literature [1, 2], the authors have added prospective data collection and a unique blinding technique to their study. In this study, the clinical team caring for the patients was not informed of patient body temperatures and was forced to make clinical decisions without consulting temperature data. In addition, the nurses and patients were not informed of patient temperatures. Patients underwent regular temperature measurement until the time of hospital discharge or for 14 days after surgery and were observed for any indication of infection, as defined according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria.