title: Comparison of methods of temperature measurement in swine.
abstract: The purpose of these experiments was to test the equivalence of pulmonary artery, urinary bladder, tympanic, rectal and femoral artery methods of temperature measurement in healthy and critically ill swine under clinical intensive care unit (ICU) conditions using a prospective, time series design. First, sensors were tested for error and sensitivity to change in temperature with a precision-controlled water bath and a laboratory-certified digital thermometer for temperatures 34-42 degrees C. There was virtually no systematic (bias) or random (precision) error (<0.2 degrees C). The bladder sensor had the slowest response time to change in temperature (105-120 s). Next, testing was done in an experimental porcine ICU in a non-profit research institution with four male, sedated, and mechanically ventilated domestic farm pigs. The in vivo experiments were conducted over periods of 41-168 h with temperatures measured every 1-5 s. The bladder, tympanic and rectal methods had unacceptable bias (>or=0.5 degrees C) and/or precision (>or=0.2 degrees C). Response time varied from 7 s with the femoral artery method to 280 s (4.7 min) with the tympanic method. We concluded that equivalence of the methods was insufficient for them to be used interchangeably in the porcine ICU. Intravascular monitoring of core body temperature produces optimal measurement of porcine temperature under varying conditions of physiological stability.
authors.affiliation: Center for Nursing research, The University of Texas Nursing School at Houston, Texas 77030, USA. Sandra.K.Hanneman@uth.tmc.edu
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Hanneman
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Jesurum-Urbaitis
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Bickel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000502:physiology*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000379:methods*; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000502:physiology; D012007:Rectum / Q000502:physiology; D013552:Swine; D013821:Thermometers / Q000662:veterinary*; D013997:Time Factors; D014432:Tympanic Membrane / Q000502:physiology