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Published on: May 30, 2020
Infrared Thermography with High Accuracy in a Neonatal Incubator
Keisuke Hamada1,2, Eiji Hirakawa3, Hidetsugu Asano4
1Department of Clinical Engineering, Nagasaki Harbor Medical Center, Nagasaki, Nagasaki, Japan. hamada_keisuke@icloud.com.
Abstract:
As the accuracy of body temperature measurement is especially critical in premature infants on admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), noninvasive measurement using infrared thermography (IRT) has not been widely adopted in the NICU due to a lack of evidence regarding its accuracy. We have established a new calibration method for IRT in an incubator, and evaluated its accuracy and reliability at different incubator settings using a variable-temperature blackbody furnace. This method improved the accuracy and reliability of IRT with an increase in percentage of data with mean absolute error (MAE) < 0.3 °C to 93.1% compared to 4.2% using the standard method. Two of three IRTs had MAE < 0.1 °C under all conditions examined. This method provided high accuracy not only for measurements at specific times but also for continuous monitoring. It will also contribute to avoiding the risk of neonates' skin trouble caused by attaching a thermistor. This study will facilitate the development of novel means of administering neonatal body temperature.
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