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Accuracy of digital tympanic, oral, axillary, and rectal thermometers compared with standard rectal mercury
B N Jensen1, F S Jensen, S N Madsen
1Surgical Department, Hjørring Hospital, Denmark.
Objective:
To compare a number of electronic tympanic, oral, axillary, and rectal measurements with those taken with a standard rectal mercury thermometer.
Design:
Prospective open study.
Setting:
County hospital, Denmark.
Subjects:
200 patients.
Interventions:
Each of 200 patients had 6 electronic measurements of body temperature: 3 in the auditory canal using Ivac Core Check 2090A, Diateck 9000, and Genius 3000A, 1 in the axilla using Terumo Digital C202. 1 in the mouth using Terumo Digital C402, and 1 in the rectum using a Terumo Digital C402. These were compared with readings from a standard mercury glass thermometer in the rectum.
Main Outcome Measures:
Accuracy of electronic thermometry.
Results:
The rectal electronic measurements were closest to the rectal mercury readings, with a mean (SD) of -0.05 degrees C (0.12), whereas the other measurements gave unacceptable SDs of temperature differences ranging from 0.41 degrees C to 0.53 degrees C.
Conclusions:
We conclude that electronic rectal temperature measurements are the most accurate. We do not recommend electronic tympanic, oral, or axillary measurements.
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