title: Use of infrared thermography in children with shock: A case series.
abstract: Shock is a complex clinical syndrome caused by an acute failure of circulatory function resulting in inadequate tissue and organ perfusion. Digital infrared thermal imaging is a non-invasive technique that can detect changes in blood perfusion by detecting small changes in the temperature of the skin. In this preliminary study, eight pediatric patients (five boys, three girls), ages ranging from 6 to 14 years (average: 9.8 years), were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at "Dr. Ignacio Morones Prieto" Central Hospital; here, the patients were examined using digital infrared thermal imaging. Patients in shock showed a significant decrease in distal temperature (at least 7°), compared to critically ill patients without shock. The latter group presented a skin temperature pattern very similar to the one previously reported for healthy children. The results show that infrared thermography can be used as a non-invasive method for monitoring the temperature in pediatric patients in intensive care units in order to detect shock in its early stages.
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Enfermería, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, México.
authors.forename: Alejandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ortiz-Dosal
authors.affiliation: Coordinación para la Innovación y la Aplicación de la Ciencia y la Tecnología, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, México.
authors.forename: Eleazar S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Kolosovas-Machuca
authors.affiliation: Hospital Central "Dr. Ignacio Morones Prieto," Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, México.
authors.forename: Rosalina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rivera-Vega
authors.affiliation: Cátedras CONACyT, Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Telecomunicaciones Espaciales, Unidad Académica de Ingeniería Eléctrica, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Simón
authors.affiliation: Coordinación para la Innovación y la Aplicación de la Ciencia y la Tecnología, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, México.
authors.forename: Francisco J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: González
keywords: Thermography; infrared imaging; pediatric patients; shock; temperature