Nasopharynx is well-suited for core temperature measurement during hypothermia therapy.
BACKGROUND
Rectal temperature is commonly used as the core temperature during therapeutic hypothermia therapy in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). The purpose of this study was to examine whether nasopharyngeal temperature could serve as a substitute for rectal temperature.


METHODS
We prospectively investigated 40 neonates with HIE who underwent therapeutic hypothermia by selective head cooling, which involved cooling the body to 34°C for 72 h. During this period, nasopharyngeal temperature was measured and compared with rectal temperature every hour.


RESULTS
For 40 neonates included in this study, the mean rectal and nasopharyngeal temperatures were 34.3 ± 0.4°C (n = 2920) and 34.3 ± 0.4°C (n = 2920), respectively. Nasopharyngeal temperature strongly correlated with rectal temperature (R2= 0.623, P < 0.0001) and magnitude of the mean difference between nasopharyngeal and rectal temperature varied little during the 72 h of therapeutic hypothermia.


CONCLUSIONS
Nasopharyngeal temperature in neonates with perinatal HIE undergoing therapeutic hypothermia may be a suitable substitute for rectal temperature.
Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Nihon University School of Medicine, Itabashi, Tokyo, Japan.|Department of Neonatology, Saitama Children's Medical Center, Saitama City, Saitama, Japan.
Kotaro
K
Hine
Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Nihon University School of Medicine, Itabashi, Tokyo, Japan.
Shigeharu
S
Hosono
Department of Neonatology, Saitama Children's Medical Center, Saitama City, Saitama, Japan.
Ken
K
Kawabata
Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Nihon University School of Medicine, Itabashi, Tokyo, Japan.|Department of Neonatology, Saitama Children's Medical Center, Saitama City, Saitama, Japan.
Hiroshi
H
Miyabayashi
Department of Neonatology, Saitama Children's Medical Center, Saitama City, Saitama, Japan.
Keichi
K
Kanno
Department of Neonatology, Saitama Children's Medical Center, Saitama City, Saitama, Japan.
Masaki
M
Shimizu
Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Nihon University School of Medicine, Itabashi, Tokyo, Japan.
Shori
S
Takahashi
D001831:Body Temperature / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced / Q000379:methods*; D020925:Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000379:methods*; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000502:physiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies
hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy; neonate; temperature monitoring; therapeutic hypothermia