[Prospective study of tympanic temperature in patients undergoing haemopoietic transplant].
OBJECTIVE
During haemopoietic transplant, the patient may be affected by body temperature variations which may be associated with potential or real complications. In this clinical context and due unavoidable changes in values, we established as objectives; to check whether the reference values stated in the literature are adapted to our clinical reality, and to check the possible influence of mucositis in the determination of the tympanic temperature.


METHODS
A prospective descriptive study was performed on 776 cases in the Haemopoietic Transplant Unit of the Hospital Morales Meseguer, of Murcia, from the 13 March to the 15 September of 2002, in patients undergoing stem cells transplant. A 95% confidence level has been applied to the Chi(2) test in the statistical analysis.


RESULTS
The mean tympanic temperature obtained in the right ear was 37.4 degrees C, whereas the axillary mean was 36.54 degrees C. Grade II mucositis was found to be the main associated variable.


CONCLUSIONS
Some authors suggest that the tympanic temperature, despite the speed, reliability and lack of impact on the environment, is subject to many uncertainties that can lead to diagnostic errors and subsequent clinical decision. In our study, the reference values have differed from those previously obtained due to, among other things, them being values associated to healthy people, whereas in our case, the determinations were made in convalescents with mucositis. Therefore, given that the clinical condition affects the reliability of the tympanic readings, this method is not applicable in our clinical care.
Meseguer-Liza
Cristóbal
C
Departamento de Enfermería, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, España. cml@um.es
Caravaca-Hernández
Amor
A
Solano-Antolinos
Josefa
J
López-Martínez
Salvador
S
Meseguer-Sánchez
Susana
S
Sánchez-Martínez
Carmen
C
Camargo-Portal
Miriam
M
Szendrei-Kovacs
Julianna
J
D000328:Adult; D001831:Body Temperature; D004432:Ear, Middle; D005260:Female; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013821:Thermometers; D055815:Young Adult