A comparison of technologies used for estimation of body temperature
- Resource Type
- Authors
- Joana Carvalho De Vasconcelos; A T Prevost; Jasdip Mangat; Paul A. White; Thomas Standley
- Source
- Physiological Measurement. 31:1105-1118
- Subject
- Adult
Thermometers
Physiology
Biomedical Engineering
Biophysics
Body temperature measurement
Oral cavity
Temperature measurement
Body Temperature
Physiology (medical)
medicine.artery
medicine
Humans
Observer Variation
Mouth
Reproducibility
business.industry
Reproducibility of Results
Repeatability
Superficial temporal artery
Thermometer
Anesthesia
Axilla
Temporal artery
Nuclear medicine
business
- Language
- ISSN
- 1361-6579
0967-3334
Body temperature measurement is an important clinical parameter. The performance of a number of non-invasive thermometers was measured by comparing intra- and inter-operator variability (n = 100) and clinical accuracy (n = 61). Variability was elevated in febrile compared to normothermic subjects for axillary and oral electronic contact thermometer measures and a temporal artery thermometer (p < 0.001 for both). Temporal artery thermometry and one mode of an infrared tympanic thermometer demonstrated significant clinical inaccuracy (p < 0.001 for both). Electronic contact thermometer repeatability and reproducibility are highly variable in febrile adults both in the axilla and oral cavity. Infrared thermometry of the skin over the superficial temporal artery is unreliable for measuring core body temperature, particularly in febrile subjects and patients in theatre. The infrared tympanic thermometers tested are acceptable for clinical practice; however, care should be exercised with the different modes of operation offered.