Figure 1From: Body temperature patterns as a predictor of hospital-acquired sepsis in afebrile adult intensive care unit patients: a case-control studyIllustration of temperature pattern abnormalities observed prior to fever in septic patients. The horizontal axes represent hours prior to the first fever in septic patients. The dotted lines denote a fever of 38.3°C. A normal body temperature pattern fluctuates diurnally by approximately 0.5°C around a mean of 37.0°C (A). In septic patients, temperature patterns may exhibit increases in frequency (B), increases in amplitude (C) or changes in baseline temperature (D) during the 72 hours prior to fever.Back to article page