CRRT Can Blunt a Fever: What ICU Nurses Need to Know

Your patient is on CRRT. Temperature: 36.9°C. Afebrile. But norepinephrine is climbing, lactate is rising, WBC is elevated, and their mental status is changing. How much reassurance should you get from that normal temperature? In this ICU Decision Lab episode, we break down how continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT/CKRT) can affect body temperature, why temperature may become less useful for distinguishing infection during therapy, and why ICU nurses need to look at the entire clinical trajectory rather than a single number. In this video: • Why CRRT can lower body temperature • How the extracorporeal circuit contributes to heat loss • What the infection/temperature evidence actually shows • Why modern warming systems matter • Fever vs hypothermia in critically ill patients • How to interpret temperature alongside pressor requirements, lactate, WBC, mentation, perfusion, and the overall trajectory • A bedside framework for recognizing deterioration 📋 FREE ICU Drift Checklist: linktr.ee/icudecisionlab ICU Decision Lab Think Faster. Miss Less. Save Lives. This content is for education only and is not medical advice. Follow your facility protocols, provider orders, and local policies.