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Temporal artery thermometry utilization in pediatric emergency care
M Olivia Titus1, Thomas Hulsey, Julie Heckman
1Pediatric and Epidemiology Department, Charleston, South Carolina, USA. titusda@musc.edu
Insights
Temporal artery thermometry (TAT) effectively screens for fever in children aged 1 to 4 years. This method accurately identifies elevated temperatures, serving as a reliable alternative to traditional methods in pediatric emergency settings.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Clinical Thermometry
- Diagnostic Accuracy Studies
Background:
- Accurate temperature assessment is crucial in pediatric emergency departments.
- Traditional methods like rectal thermometry can be invasive and challenging in young children.
- Temporal artery thermometry (TAT) offers a non-invasive alternative for temperature measurement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of temporal artery thermometry (TAT) as a substitute for temperature assessment in children aged 1 to 4 years.
- To compare TAT measurements with gold-standard rectal temperatures in a pediatric emergency setting.
Main Methods:
- A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted in a pediatric emergency department.
- Temperatures were measured using both TAT and rectal methods in a convenience sample of 42 children (1-4 years old).
- Statistical analysis included Pearson correlation, regression analysis, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.
Main Results:
- TAT measurements showed a strong correlation with rectal temperatures, predicting 83% of rectal readings.
- ROC curve analysis identified a TAT cutoff of ≥37.7°C as equivalent to a rectal temperature of ≥38.3°C for fever detection.
- This cutoff demonstrated 100% sensitivity and 93.5% specificity for identifying fever.
Conclusions:
- Temporal artery thermometry is an effective screening tool for identifying fever in children aged 1 to 4 years.
- TAT provides a reliable and accurate non-invasive method for fever detection in pediatric emergency care.
Objective:
To determine the effectiveness of temporal artery thermometry (TAT) as an alternative for temperature assessment of children 1 to 4 years of age in the pediatric emergency department.
Methods:
Prospective cross-sectional study conducted at an urban children's hospital emergency department. TAT and rectal temperatures are compared in a convenience sample of children 1 to 4 years of age. Comparison of the temperatures is performed using Pearson correlation coefficient and regression analysis.
Results:
TAT and rectal temperatures are measured in 42 children 1 to 4 years of age. TAT predicts 83% of rectal temperatures. A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis shows that a cutoff of 37.7 degrees C or greater for fever in TAT is equivalent to rectal temperature greater than or equal to 38.3 degrees C with 100% sensitivity and 93.5% specificity.
Conclusion:
TAT is an effective screening tool in identifying fever in children 1 to 4 years of age.
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