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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Comparison of a tympanic thermometer to rectal and oral thermometers in a pediatric emergency department.

We performed a clinical trial of a new tympanic thermometer to test its accuracy in a pediatric emergency department. Tympanic temperature was compared to oral or rectal glass and electronic temperature, depending on the developmental age of the child. Results were controlled for age of the child, cooperation, quantity of cerumen, and the presence or absence of otitis media. Our results suggest good correlation of tympanic with oral and rectal glass thermometry except in infants less than three months of age. Sensitivity and specificity, respectively, were 80% and 93% for detecting fever of 38 degrees C and 80% and 95% for detecting fever of 38.5 degrees C.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Re-evaluation of the tympanic thermometer in the emergency department.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: A study was undertaken to re-evaluate tympanic temperatures using a commonly used portable infrared tympanic thermometer. DESIGN: Temperatures were recorded sequentially at two body sites using an electronic digital thermometer and an infrared tympanic thermometer. The tympanic thermometer was set to the core equivalency setting. SETTING: The emergency department of a Level 2 trauma center. TYPE OF PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-nine pediatric patients presenting to the ED. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Mean temperatures in the tympanic and rectal temperature groups were 38.5 +/- 1.08 C and 38.8 +/- 1.02 C, respectively (P greater than .05). The overall correlation of rectal and tympanic temperatures was 0.93 (P much less than .001). Stratifying the data by age resulted in a weakened correlation for patients 3 months of age and younger. For all strata, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the tympanic thermometer for predicting fever were 96.6%, 100%, 100%, and 90.1%, respectively; for patients more than 3 months of age, the values were 100% in all categories. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that the First Temp infrared tympanic thermometer accurately detected fever in a pediatric population more than 3 months old. Results were inconclusive in patients less than 3 months old.

Body Temperature↗
PubMed1992

Use of thermometers in general practice.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the attitudes of general practitioners towards the use of thermometers in general practice. DESIGN: Postal questionnaire survey. SETTING: All general practitioners in the catchment area of Frimley Park Hospital, Surrey. SUBJECTS: 145 general practitioners. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Answers to questions covering a variety of aspects concerning the use of thermometers in general practice. RESULTS: 116 (80%) doctors replied. Seven doctors did not have any method of taking a patient's temperature; up to 12 more doctors did not use their thermometers and 56 doctors used them infrequently, less than once a fortnight. Mercury glass thermometers were most commonly used (80 doctors; 69%), but only 8% of doctors used them correctly. Six doctors failed to clean their thermometers between patients. The study failed to identify the roles of axillary and rectal temperature readings. CONCLUSION: There is a wide variation in attitudes towards the use of thermometers in general practice.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1979

Inaccuracy of the Clinitemp skin thermometer.

The Clinitemp Fever Detector (Clinitemp) is a newly marketed thermometer consisting of plasticencased thermophototropic esters of cholesterol that change color over a specific short-range of temperature. The manufacturer states that the instrument can identify fever by measuring skin temperature in children. On the basis of a patient's report of one inaccurate Clinitemp, we undertook to investigate the accuracy of this thermometer. One hundred fifty-two children presenting to the Children's Hospital Emergency Room had their temperature taken with two thermometers, an electronic thermometer that had been checked for accuracy with a National Bureau of Standards thermometer and the Clinitemp. Clinitemps, purchased over a two-month period from three pharmacies, were tested on different children. Thirteen of thirty children (43%) with fever (rectal temperature greater than or equal to 38.3 C (101 F) or oral temperature greater than or equal to (37.8 C) (100 F) identified by the electronic thermometer, were correctly classified as having fever using the Clinitemp. When fever was defined to include children with a rectal temperature greater than or equal to 38.0 C (100.5 F) or an oral temperature of greater than or equal to 37.4 C (99.5 F), the Clinitemp correctly identified 13 (32.5%) of 40 children with fever. There appears to be an appreciable risk that someone with a serious illness may delay seeking medical attention on the basis of a normal temperature as measured by the Clinitemp.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Effects of elemental mercury exposure at a thermometer plant.

This study compares 84 mercury-exposed workers at a thermometer manufacturing facility with 79 unexposed workers for evidence of chronic mercury toxicity. Personal breathing-zone air concentrations of mercury ranged from 25.6 to 270.6 micrograms/m3 for thermometer workers. Urinary mercury levels in the study population ranged from 1.3 to 344.5 micrograms/g creatinine, with eight (10%) participants exceeding 150 micrograms/g creatinine and three workers exceeding 300 micrograms/g creatinine, which indicates increased absorption of mercury among the thermometer workers. All urine mercury levels in the comparison group were compatible with normal background levels in unexposed adults (less than 10 micrograms/g creatinine). Thermometer plant workers reported more symptoms than did controls; in general, these differences were not statistically significant and could not be specifically associated with mercury exposure. Static tremor, abnormal Romberg test, dysdiadochokinesia, and difficulty with heel-to-toe gait were more prevalent among thermometer workers than control workers, which could not be associated with recent mercury exposure; there was some suggestion of an association with chronic exposure. There were no intergroup differences for the standard clinical tests of renal function except for a significantly higher mean specific gravity among the thermometer workers. A positive correlation was found, however, between urinary N-acetyl-b-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) and urinary mercury. There was no consistent evidence for intergroup differences in proximal renal tubule function, as measured by urinary beta 2-microglobulin (B2M) or retinol binding protein (RBP).

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Reduction in the incidence of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea in an acute care hospital and a skilled nursing facility following replacement of electronic thermometers with single-use disposables.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if the spread of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea is related to the use of electronic thermometers in an acute hospital and a chronic healthcare facility. DESIGN: After finding that a significant percentage (20.8%) of electronic rectal thermometer handles were contaminated with C difficile, all electronic thermometers were replaced with disposables. A before/after trial was conducted to determine if the change to disposable thermometers would reduce the incidence of C difficile-associated diarrhea. SETTING: The study took place in a 343-bed acute hospital and a 538-bed skilled nursing facility. PATIENTS: All patients who underwent routine microbiological evaluation for nosocomially acquired diarrhea over a 1-year period were included in the study. Nosocomial diarrhea was defined as 3 or more loose stools per day for 2 consecutive days and/or abdominal findings such as pain, distension, and ileus occurring 3 or more days after admission. RESULTS: During the 6-month postintervention period, the incidence of C difficile-associated diarrhea was reduced from 2.71/1,000 patient days to 1.76/1,000 patient days in the acute hospital and from 0.41/1,000 patient days to 0.11/1,000 patient days in the skilled nursing facility. The protective effect of the intervention was statistically significant for both facilities. CONCLUSIONS: Replacement of electronic thermometers with single-use disposables significantly reduced the incidence of C difficile-associated diarrhea in both acute care and skilled nursing care facilities. Data suggest that the rectal route may be important in the transmission of C difficile in these settings.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Core temperature measured in the auricular canal: comparison between four different tympanic thermometers.

Four different tympanic thermometers, absorbing infra-red radiation, (FirstTemp, Diatek, Ivac and Genius) were studied. Variations from repeated measurements and reliability of tympanic temperature compared to oesophageal, rectal and pulmonary artery temperature were studied. Core temperature measured by the "FirstTemp" and the "Genius" thermometers showed slightly higher values than core temperature measured by oesophageal, rectal and pulmonary artery thermistors. Compared to oesophageal temperature "FirstTemp" showed 0.56 degrees C and "Genius" 0.28 degrees C higher values, while the "Diatek" and the "Ivac" gave slightly lower values (-0.5 degrees C and -0.28 degrees C). All four thermometers were found accurate for repeated measurement both in terms of standard deviation and coefficient of variance. All four tympanic thermometers showed good accuracy for changes in core temperatures compared to the reference thermistors (r2 values 0.96 for "FirstTemp", 0.88 for "Diatek", 0.96 for "IVAC" and 0.95 for "Genius"). The tympanic thermometer was found to be a valuable alternative for measuring core temperature in most clinical settings.

Body Temperature↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Medical digital thermometer].

For rapid measurement of the human body temperature, three modifications of medical digital thermometer are recommended for clinics: a thermometer with compensation of the body's local cooling by a transducer, thermometer for cardiosurgery, and adaptive thermometer. The article describes the basic structural scheme of the medical digital thermometer, ways of accelerated temperature measurement and main technical characteristics of the above models.

Cardiac Surgical Procedures↗
PubMedDate not supplied

On the spatial resolution of clinical thermometers.

In this work the spatial resolution of type T (copper-Constantan) and type K (Chromel-Alumel) multipoint thermocouple thermometers was investigated. For clinical use, thermocouples are usually inserted within catheters to provide easy access, reproducibility, and a sterile environment. The effect of several types of catheter on the ability of these thermometers to accurately resolve thermal gradients was studied. The influence of the number of wire pairs within the multipoint thermometer was also investigated. A mathematical model has been developed to determine the spatial resolving power of these thermometers. Results indicate that type K thermocouples are generally superior to type T and the use of catheters plays a significant role in spatial resolution. Moreover, the use of mineral oil as a thermal coupling agent between the catheter and the thermometer was also found to have some effect.

Humans↗
PubMed1992

Taking an infant's temperature: axillary or rectal thermometer?

AIM: to examine the validity of routine use of axillary thermometers to measure body temperature in infants. METHODS: comparison of 49 simultaneous paired axillary and rectal temperature recordings in infants between one and 11 months of age, who were considered afebrile by their clinicians. Regression analysis of the paired measurements, and a plot of the differences between the paired measurements against their means, were used to examine the limits of agreement of the two methods. RESULTS: the limits of agreement ranged from 0.2 to 1.6 degrees C difference between simultaneous paired measurements. As there was no consistent relationship between axillary and rectal temperatures, the use of a correction factor added to axillary values is invalid. The axillary thermometer may record almost the same as the rectal temperature or more than 1.5 degrees C lower at the same point in time. CONCLUSION: we question the validity of current clinical practice in assessing infant body temperature by using axillary thermometers, and we suggest that such measurement does not reflect the rectal temperature in a reliable or consistent fashion. If infant body temperature is sought, a rectal thermometer should be used.

Axilla↗
PubMed1991

[Measurement of basal temperature with the Tempadot disposable thermometer for oral use].

Twenty-two healthy women of fertile age who participated in an immunological investigation recorded basal temperature curves (BTC) with the object of illustrating the course of the menstrual cycle by means of daily measurements of the morning temperature with the Tempadot disposable thermometer for oral use. The total of 63 BTC's were assessed on the basis of the requirement of normal diphasic curves. The number of diphasic BTC was less than anticipated. In addition, four other healthy women measured the morning temperature daily with the Tempadot disposable thermometer orally and with a mercury thermometer rectally for a calendar month. It is concluded that employment of the Thermadot disposable thermometer orally is associated with great unreliability even in this material where the measurements were carried out on repeated occasions by young healthy persons.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of tympanic membrane thermometer for use with pediatric patients.

To determine if a tympanic membrane thermometer is of benefit on a pediatric unit. Temperature readings using a tympanic membrane thermometer and an electronic thermometer were compared for 295 paired observations. The electronic temperature readings were done by rectal (n = 32), oral (n = 65), and axillary (n = 198) routes. Differences in tympanic and electronic readings were compared by paired t-tests, and the readings were also correlated. The nursing time in seconds was also compared between electronic and tympanic measurements. Parents and nurses rated their opinion of each type of measurement on a 0-5 Likert scale. Nurses rated the patient's response using the same scale. Results indicate that temperature readings differ by an average of .2- .5 degree between tympanic and electronic thermometers. Correlations are statistically significant but of low-to-moderate strength. Parents and nurses did not rate the types of instruments differently. The nurses rated the electronic axillary method as being more acceptable to toddlers. The tympanic membrane measurement took an average of 30-38 seconds less time to take. Tympanic membrane thermometry saves nursing time. Although the correlations were not strong between electronic and tympanic membrane measurements, the tympanic reading was closer to the electronic rectal reading than to axillary or oral readings.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Hospital-acquired infection with vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium transmitted by electronic thermometers.

OBJECTIVES: To describe an epidemic of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium causing bacteremia and bacteriuria, to identify the source of infection, to delineate risk factors associated with acquisition of the organism, and to determine antibiotic sensitivities for the organism. DESIGN: Investigation of an epidemic, including a case-control study. SETTING: Medical-surgical intensive care unit and ward in a university medical center. PATIENTS: Nine patients infected or colonized with vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium and 20 noninfected controls. MEASUREMENTS: Clinical data, environmental surveillance cultures, and in-vitro microbiologic studies. RESULTS: Colonization or infection by vancomycin-resistant E. faecium was associated with an increased duration of treatment with ceftazidime, 13.2 compared with 4.6 days, and a greater number of nonisolated days of hospitalization in the intensive care unit, 19.9 compared with 6.4 days for infected and noninfected patients, respectively (P less than 0.05). Environmental surveillance cultures recovered the organism repeatedly from the rectal probe handles of three electronic thermometers used exclusively on nonisolated patients in the intensive care unit. Restriction endonuclease analysis of plasmid DNA showed that all clinical and environmental isolates were identical. Infection control measures, including isolation of colonized or infected patients and removal of the rectal thermometer probes suspected to be responsible for transmission, resulted in termination of the outbreak. In-vitro, time-kill studies showed that the combination of ciprofloxacin, rifampin, and gentamicin resulted in bactericidal activity against the organism. CONCLUSIONS: This nosocomial outbreak of infection due to a highly vancomycin-resistant strain of Enterococcus is the first epidemic in which an electronic thermometer has been implicated as the vehicle of transmission for an infectious agent.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Evaluation of a new infrared tympanic thermometer: a comparison of three bands.

As technology advances, it is important for nurses to compare various types of equipment used on pediatric patients to determine the cost effectiveness, risk, and ease of use. Presently, there are several types of electronic thermometers in use to measure body temperature. The following article discusses the comparison of the Thermoscan Instant Thermometer (Thermoscan Inc., San Diego, CA) with the First Temp infrared (Intelligent Medical Systems, Carlsbad, CA) and IVAC electronic thermometer (IVAC Corporation, San Diego, CA).

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗
PubMed1977

The gallium melting-point standard: its role in manufacture and quality control of electronic thermometers for the clinical laboratory.

I discuss the traceability of calibration of electronic thermometers to thermometric constants of nature or to the National Bureau of Standards, form a manufacturer's basic standards through the manufacturing process to the user's laboratory. Useful electrical temperature sensors, their advantages, and means for resolving their disadvantages are described. I summarize our development of a cell for realizing the melting phase equilibrium of pure gallium (at 29.770 degrees C) as a thermometer calibration fixed point, and enumerate its advantages in the routine calibration verification of electrical thermometers in the clinical chemistry laboratory.

Chemistry, Clinical↗
PubMed1976

Nursery outbreak of peritonitis with pneumoperitoneum probably caused by thermometer-induced rectal perforation.

Between June 16 and October 9, 1974, 9 neonates at a small, community hospital were stricken with an unusual, serious illness manifested by peritonitis and pneumoperitoneum; 3 died. Although the illness was initially thought to be necrotizing entercolitis, clinical, laboratory, and epidemiologic evidence strongly suggested that it was instead the result of gastrointestinal perforation. in case-control studies employing 3 different conposure to a particular nurses' aide. Other studies including a comparison of expected and actual exposures of ill infants to nursery personnel further linked this nurses' aide to illness. Since rectal temperature-taking was the only procedure possibly predisposing to gastrointestinal perforation that was routinely practiced in the nursery, it was hypothesized that the illness might be the result of rectal perforations. In order that rectal temperature-taking technique could be observed, each nurse and nurses' aide on the OB-GYN service was asked to take part in a general practical examination of nursing skills on a life-like baby doll. The mean and median depths to which nursing personnel inserted the thermometer exceeded the maximum depth recommended to prevent perforation. The nurses' aide epidemiologically associated with illness inserted the thermometer to almost twice the maximum recommended depth-farther than all the personnel who worked primarily in the nursery. After this nurses' aide was removed from the nursery and axillary temperature-taking replaced rectal temperature-taking as the nursery routine, the outbreak ceased.

Body Temperature↗
PubMed1978

Thermometers and rectal perforations in the neonate.

Three neonates with rectal perforations probably caused by the use of the rectal thermometer, are reported. The dangers of this condition and the difficulty of diagnosis even at laporatomy are emphasised. It is suggested that since the axillary temperature in the neonate is an adequate reflection of the core temperature the routine use of the rectal thermometer, except in exceptional circumstances, should cease.

Female↗