|
Start with fever....as mentioned, have to know a baseline to determine if the temp is elevated. Also about 75% of all fevers are inflammatory, not infection Ina hospital so how that correlated with the field I'm not sure.
An elevated WBC is too non specific and certainly not a sensitive indicator of a big problem. One of the studies I read years ago took SF warriors and checked their cortisol levels after stress, they were rarely if ever demonstrating adrenal insufficiency when significantly wounded and in an ICu..... Not the norm at all so WBC and neutrophil counts are an indicator of the immune functional and response so you SF guys mess all of that up!!!
I would go by other signs and sx's to figure out an infectious/inflammatory response.
ss
__________________
'Revel in action, translate perceptions into instant judgements, and these into actions that are irrevocable, monumentous and dreadful - all this with lightning speed, in conditions of great stress and in an environment of high tension:what is expected of "us" is the impossible, yet we deliver just that.
(adapted from: Sherwin B. Nuland, MD, surgeon and author: The Wisdom of the Body, 1997 )
Education is the anti-ignorance we all need to better treat our patients. ss, 2008.
The blade is so sharp that the incision is perfect. They don't realize they've been cut until they're out of the fight: A Surgeon Warrior. I use a knife to defend life and to save it. ss (aka traumadoc)
|