Comparison of temperature measurements by an aural infrared thermometer with measurements by traditional rectal and axillary techniques

Axillary and tympanic membrane temperature recording in the preterm neonate: a comparative study

“…Minimal handling is a basic principle of neonatal care as frequent disturbance may lead to hypoxia and health deterioration (Roberton 1996). The ideal method of temperature recording would be rapid, painless and reproducible, and accurately reflect core temperature (Yetman et al . 1993), whilst considering safety, comfort, ease of procedure and cost effectiveness.…”

“…However, this recommendation is meaningless because the manufacturers (Sherwood IMS Ltd 1994) state that the CAL mode indicates the absolute temperature without adjustment for site, and should only be used for calibration purposes. Yetman et al . (1993), using the same thermometer, suggested that measurements in either rectal or oral equivalent modes did not reflect accurately a neonate’s rectal or axillary temperature, but they did not include preterm neonates in the sample.…”

Methods of Newborn Infant Temperature Monitoring: A Research Review

“…Studies comparing rectal and axillary temperature readings in full-term neonates have found that temperature differences between the two sites range from 0.1"F to .60"F (Bliss-Holtz, 1989; Eoff, Meler, & Miller, 1974;Haddock, Vincent, & Merrow, 1986;Kunnel, O'Brien, Munro, & Medoff-Cooper, 1988;Mayfield, Bhatia, Nakamura, Rios, & Bell, 1984;Yetman, Coody, West, Montgomery & Brown, 1993). Table 1 shows the demographic characteristics of subjects and mean differences found in eight studies of full-term and three studies of preterm infants.…”

“…For example, in 10 studies reporting use of more than one data collector, only three reported interrater reliability (Eoff et al, 1974;Kunnel et al, 1988;Torrance, 1968). Eight of 12 studies reported using standardized instruments for temperature measurement (Bliss-Holtz, 1989, 1993; Kunnel et al, 1988;Mayfield et al, 1984;Moen et al, 1987;Schiffman, 1982;Torrance, 1968;Yetman et al, 1993). Of 10 studies measuring rectal temperature, only six reported the depth of thermometer insertion (range of 1.5 to 2 cm) and use of a standardized protocol for thermometer placement (Bliss-Holtz, 1989;Eoff et al, 1974;Haddock et al, 1986;Kunnel et al, 1988;Mayfield et al, 1984;Torrance, 1968).…”

“…Two additional studies in full-term and preterm infant samples found poor correlations between axillary and tympanic measurement (Weiss, 1991), and more variation between tympanic and axillary and between tympanic and rectal than between axillary and rectal readings (Weiss, Poeltler, & Gocka, 1994). Additionally, Yetman et al (1993) demonstrated in a sample of 200 full-term infants that tympanic temperature readings may vary more than 0.6"F from rectal temperatures measured with mercury-in-glass thermometers. From the above data, it could be said that this technology is not yet ready for clinical use in newborn infants.…”