Validity and reliability of the myTemp ingestible temperature capsule

Area of Science:

• Physiology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Temperature Measurement

Background:

• Accurate core body temperature (Tc) measurement is crucial for athletes and patients.
• Ingestible telemetric temperature capsules are accepted Tc surrogates but are costly.
• The myTemp system offers a potentially cheaper alternative.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the validity and test-retest reliability of the myTemp ingestible temperature capsule system.
• To assess the myTemp system's accuracy as a surrogate for core body temperature.

Main Methods:

• An ex-vivo experimental study was conducted.
• Fifteen myTemp ingestible temperature capsules were tested in a controlled water bath.
• Temperature measurements were taken as the water temperature gradually increased from 34°C to 44°C, with the protocol repeated twice for each capsule.

Main Results:

• The mean difference between myTemp and water bath temperatures was negligible (-0.001°C) with high agreement (LOA: ±0.011-0.012°C) in both trials.
• Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC) of 1.00 were found for both validity and reliability.
• A systematic difference between trials of 0.004°C (LOA: ±0.015°C) was observed, with an ICC of 1.00.

Conclusions:

• The myTemp system demonstrates high validity and test-retest reliability for measuring temperature under controlled conditions.
• Observed systematic biases in sensitivity and reliability are physiologically and clinically insignificant.
• The myTemp ingestible temperature capsule is a valid and cost-effective tool for temperature monitoring.