title: Comparison of tympanic and rectal temperatures in febrile children.
abstract: The present study was designed to assess the accuracy of tympanic membrane temperature (TMT) in predicting "core" body temperature and to compare rectal temperature (RT) and TMT in febrile pediatric patients with and without meningitis. Sixty children diagnosed as having meningitis by cerebro-spinal fluid (CDF) analysis formed the cases and 60 non-meningitic febrile patients, chosen as continuous enrollment, formed the controls. Rectal and ear temperatures were assessed in both groups. Ear temperature was significantly higher in cases as compared to controls. The difference between reading of ear temperature and rectal temperature was also significantly higher in cases as compared to controls. Significant correlations were seen between ear temperature and various parameters of CSF profile.
authors.affiliation: Division of Emergency and Critical Care, Department of Pediatrics, Kalawati Saran Children's Hospital and Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Arvind
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sehgal
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Jyothi
authors.forename: N K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Dubey
mesh_terms: D001831:Body Temperature; D005334:Fever / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008581:Meningitis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012007:Rectum; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014432:Tympanic Membrane