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Assessment of an aural infrared sensor for body temperature measurement in children
1General Pediatric Ambulatory Center, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC.
Insights
This study found that a new infrared ear thermometer was inaccurate for detecting fevers in children. The device frequently underestimated body temperature compared to rectal and oral measurements, making it unreliable for clinical use.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Medical Devices
- Thermometry
Background:
- A novel infrared ear thermometer has been introduced for rapid body temperature measurement.
- Accurate fever detection is crucial in pediatric care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the accuracy of a new infrared ear thermometer in children.
- To compare its performance against standard rectal and oral thermometers.
Main Methods:
- The study involved children aged 1 month to 10 years.
- Temperatures were measured using the infrared ear device and a standard electronic thermometer (IVAC).
- Comparisons were made with rectal (n=65) and oral (n=48) temperatures.
Main Results:
- The infrared ear thermometer readings were consistently lower than rectal and oral temperatures.
- Correlation coefficients were 0.77 (rectal) and 0.75 (oral).
- The device showed low sensitivity in identifying clinically significant fevers (e.g., ≥38°C or ≥39°C).
Conclusions:
- The infrared ear thermometer demonstrated unsatisfactory performance for detecting clinically significant fevers in pediatric outpatients.
- Its tendency to underestimate temperature poses a risk in fever assessment.
Abstract:
A newly marketed device measures body temperature using an ear probe that detects infrared radiation from the tympanic membrane. It is simple to use and gives a reading in 1-2 seconds. Its accuracy was evaluated in a group of children, aged 1 month through 10 years, by comparing it with either rectal (n = 65), or oral (n = 48) temperatures obtained with a standard electronic thermometer, IVAC (San Diego, CA). The average elapsed time between readings was 11 minutes. Overall, 60 rectal and 40 oral temperatures (88.5%) were higher with IVAC than with the aural sensor. The difference ranged from -0.7 degrees C to +2.5 degrees C. The correlations between the infrared ear-probe values and the rectal and oral temperature readings were 0.77 and 0.75, respectively. Because the average reading using the aural sensor was lower than that using the IVAC, the sensitivity of the aural sensor for detecting clinically important levels of fever was low. None of seven patients with a rectal temperature of 39 degrees C or more and only 7 of 27 with a rectal temperature of 38 degrees C or more were identified by the aural sensor as having temperatures above these cutoff levels. Similarly, none of three patients with an oral temperature of 39 degrees C or more and only three of eight with an oral temperature of 38 degrees C or more were identified correctly by the aural sensor. The authors conclude that the aural sensor is unsatisfactory for detecting clinically significant fevers in a pediatric outpatient setting.