Comparison of tympanic and rectal temperature in febrile patients.
OBJECTIVE
To compare tympanic membrane temperature and rectal temperature in febrile pediatric patients.


METHODS
Sixty febrile children were enrolled as continuous enrollment at initial triage. Two readings of ear temperature were taken in each child with Thermoscan infrared thermometer. Rectal temperature was recorded by a digital electronic thermometer. Comparison of both the techniques was done and co-relation co-efficients calculated. Parental preference for both techniques was assessed.


RESULTS
It was observed that mean ear temperature was 38.9+/-0.90 C and that for rectal temperature was 38.8+/-0.80 degrees C. The correlation coefficient between the two was 0.994 (p < 0.01). Coefficients for both sites were comparable over a wide age range. The difference between readings taken from two ears was not significant. Temperature ranges over which readings were recorded were quite wide for both techniques. Parental preference for tympanic thermometry over rectal thermometry was noticed. Tympanic thermometry utilizes pyro-electric sensors, to detect infra-red rays emitted from the surface of tympanic membrane. Ear temperatures correlates well with rectal temperatures which have long been considered as "core" temperatures. Parents prefer the technique of ear thermometry which is quick (2 sec), safe and non-invasive and patient resistance for this is also less.


CONCLUSIONS
A non-invasive, non-mucous device which is accurate over a wide range of temperature could be very useful.
Sehgal
Arvind
A
Department of Pediatrics, Lady Hardinge Medical College and Kalawati Saran Children's Hospital, New Delhi, India. jyotiarvind@hotmail.com
Dubey
N K
NK
Jyothi
M C
MC
Jain
Shilpa
S
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012007:Rectum / Q000502:physiology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013817:Thermography / Q000379:methods*; D013821:Thermometers; D014432:Tympanic Membrane / Q000502:physiology