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Related Experiment Videos

Taking an infant's temperature: axillary or rectal thermometer?

P J Brown1, B F Christmas, R P Ford

  • 1Department of Paediatrics, Christchurch Hospital.

The New Zealand Medical Journal
|August 12, 1992
PubMed
Summary

Axillary thermometers are unreliable for measuring infant body temperature. Rectal thermometers provide a more accurate and consistent assessment of infant temperature, questioning current clinical practices.

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Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Medical Thermometry

Background:

  • Accurate infant body temperature measurement is crucial for clinical assessment.
  • Axillary thermometers are commonly used for convenience but their reliability is debated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the validity of using axillary thermometers for routine infant temperature measurement.
  • To compare axillary and rectal temperature readings in infants.

Main Methods:

  • Simultaneous paired axillary and rectal temperature recordings were obtained from 49 infants (1-11 months old).
  • Regression analysis and Bland-Altman plots were used to assess agreement between methods.

Main Results:

  • The limits of agreement between axillary and rectal temperatures ranged from 0.2 to 1.6°C.
  • No consistent relationship was found, rendering correction factors invalid.
  • Axillary temperatures could be similar to or over 1.5°C lower than rectal temperatures.

Conclusions:

  • The routine use of axillary thermometers for infant temperature assessment is questionable.
  • Axillary measurements do not reliably reflect true infant body temperature.
  • Rectal thermometry is recommended for accurate infant temperature assessment.

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