Temperature measurement in intensive care patients: comparison of urinary bladder, oesophageal, rectal, axillary, and inguinal methods versus pulmonary artery core method.
OBJECTIVE
Comparisons of urinary bladder, oesophageal, rectal, axillary, and inguinal temperatures versus pulmonary artery temperature.


METHODS
Prospective cohort study.


METHODS
Intensive Care Unit of a University-Hospital.


METHODS
Forty-two intensive care patients requiring a pulmonary artery catheter (PAC).


METHODS
Patients requiring PAC and without oesophageal, urinary bladder, and/or rectal disease or recent surgery were included in the study. Temperature was simultaneously monitored with PAC, urinary, oesophageal, and rectal electronic thermometers and with axillary and inguinal gallium-in-glass thermometers. Comparisons used a Bland and Altman method.


RESULTS
The pulmonary arterial temperature ranged from 33.7 degrees C to 40.2 degrees C. Urinary bladder temperature was assessed in the last 22 patients. A total of 529 temperature measurement comparisons were carried out (252 comparisons of esophageal, rectal, inguinal, axillary, and pulmonary artery temperature measurements in the first 20 patients, and 277 comparisons with overall methods in the last patients). Nine to 18 temperature measurement comparisons were carried out per patient (median = 13). The mean differences between pulmonary artery temperatures and those of the different methods studied were: oesophageal (0.11+/-0.30 degrees C), rectal (-0.07+/-0.40 degrees C), axillary (0.27+/-0.45 degrees C), inguinal (0.17+/-0.48 degrees C), urinary bladder (-0.21+/-0.20 degrees C).


CONCLUSIONS
In critically ill patients, urinary bladder and oesophageal electronic thermometers are more reliable than the electronic rectal thermometer which is better than inguinal and axillary gallium-in-glass thermometers to measure core temperature.
Lefrant
J-Y
JY
Fédération Anesthésie-Douleur-Urgences-Réanimation, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nîmes, 5 rue Hoche, 30029 Nîmes, France. jean.yves.lefrant@chu-nimes.fr
Muller
L
L
de La Coussaye
J Emmanuel
JE
Benbabaali
M
M
Lebris
C
C
Zeitoun
N
N
Mari
C
C
Saïssi
G
G
Ripart
J
J
Eledjam
J-J
JJ
D000368:Aged; D001365:Axilla / Q000502:physiology; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000502:physiology*; D003422:Critical Care; D004947:Esophagus / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007264:Inguinal Canal / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000502:physiology*; D012007:Rectum / Q000502:physiology; D013821:Thermometers; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000502:physiology