Temporal artery thermometry utilization in pediatric emergency care.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the effectiveness of temporal artery thermometry (TAT) as an alternative for temperature assessment of children 1 to 4 years of age in the pediatric emergency department.


METHODS
Prospective cross-sectional study conducted at an urban children's hospital emergency department. TAT and rectal temperatures are compared in a convenience sample of children 1 to 4 years of age. Comparison of the temperatures is performed using Pearson correlation coefficient and regression analysis.


RESULTS
TAT and rectal temperatures are measured in 42 children 1 to 4 years of age. TAT predicts 83% of rectal temperatures. A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis shows that a cutoff of 37.7 degrees C or greater for fever in TAT is equivalent to rectal temperature greater than or equal to 38.3 degrees C with 100% sensitivity and 93.5% specificity.


CONCLUSIONS
TAT is an effective screening tool in identifying fever in children 1 to 4 years of age.
Titus
M Olivia
MO
Pediatric and Epidemiology Department, Charleston, South Carolina, USA. titusda@musc.edu
Hulsey
Thomas
T
Heckman
Julie
J
Losek
Joseph D
JD
D001831:Body Temperature / Q000502:physiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D005334:Fever / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012007:Rectum / Q000502:physiology; D012016:Reference Values; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013699:Temporal Arteries / Q000502:physiology*; D013817:Thermography / Q000379:methods*