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Temperature measurements with a temporal scanner: systematic review and meta-analysis
Håkan Geijer1, Ruzan Udumyan2, Georg Lohse3
1Centre for Assessment of Medical Technology in Örebro, Region Örebro County, Örebro, Sweden Department of Radiology, School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
BMJ Open
|April 2, 2016
Summary
Temporal artery thermometers (TAT) show moderate accuracy for temperature measurement but are not recommended to replace invasive methods. Their accuracy is comparable to tympanic thermometers, suggesting a potential but cautious replacement.
Area of Science:
- Medical Devices
- Diagnostic Accuracy
- Thermometry
Background:
- Systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate temporal artery thermometers (TAT).
- Assesses diagnostic accuracy against core temperature estimation.
- Trial registration CRD42014008832.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the diagnostic accuracy of temporal artery thermometers (TAT).
- To compare TAT accuracy with tympanic thermometers.
- To assess TAT's suitability as a replacement for reference temperature measurement methods.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search across major databases (PubMed, Embase, Cinahl, Web of Science).
- Inclusion of 37 articles with 5026 participants.
- QUADAS-2 for risk of bias assessment; inverse variance weighting for pooled difference and limits of agreement (LoA).
- Hierarchical models for sensitivity and specificity; GRADE system for evidence quality.
Main Results:
- Pooled difference of -0.19 °C (95% LoA -1.16 to 0.77 °C) with moderate evidence quality.
- Pooled sensitivity of 0.72 (95% CI 0.61 to 0.81) and specificity of 0.94 (95% CI 0.87 to 0.97).
- Trend towards underestimation in febrile patients; significant heterogeneity and wide LoA impacted evidence quality.
Conclusions:
- Temporal artery thermometers (TAT) are not accurate enough to replace reference methods like rectal or bladder thermometers.
- TAT accuracy is similar to tympanic thermometers.
- TAT may replace tympanic thermometers, acknowledging that both methods have limitations in accuracy.
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