Comparison of esophageal, rectal, axillary, bladder, tympanic, and pulmonary artery temperatures in children

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Esophageal Heat Transfer for Patient Temperature Control and Targeted Temperature Management
06:43

Esophageal Heat Transfer for Patient Temperature Control and Targeted Temperature Management

Published on: November 21, 2017

J L Robinson1, R F Seal, D W Spady

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.

The Journal of Pediatrics
|October 27, 1998
PubMed

Insights

Esophageal temperature monitoring is the most accurate for anesthetized children. This method closely matches pulmonary artery temperatures, outperforming tympanic, rectal, bladder, and axillary probes for reliable pediatric temperature readings.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Anesthesiology
  • Medical Thermometry
  • Critical Care Monitoring

Background:

  • Accurate core body temperature monitoring is crucial in pediatric anesthesia.
  • Various methods exist, but their reliability in children remains a subject of investigation.
  • Inconsistent temperature readings can impact clinical decisions and patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify the most reliable site for core body temperature measurement in anesthetized children.
  • To compare the accuracy of esophageal temperature readings against other common monitoring sites.
  • To provide evidence-based recommendations for temperature monitoring in pediatric surgical settings.

Main Methods:

  • Esophageal temperature probes were used in anesthetized children.
  • Temperature readings were compared with simultaneous measurements from pulmonary artery, tympanic (Genius and IVAC), rectal, bladder, and axillary probes.
  • Statistical analysis focused on mean differences and standard deviations between sites.

Main Results:

  • Esophageal temperature readings demonstrated the smallest mean difference (0.1°C ± 0.5°C) compared to pulmonary artery temperature.
  • Other sites showed larger discrepancies: tympanic thermometers (0.6-0.8°C ± 1.0°C), rectal probe (0.7°C ± 1.7°C), bladder probe (0.9°C ± 1.4°C), and axillary probe (1.3°C ± 1.3°C).
  • Esophageal monitoring proved to be the most accurate and reliable method among those tested.

Conclusions:

  • Esophageal temperature measurement is the most reliable method for monitoring core body temperature in anesthetized children.
  • Clinical practice should consider esophageal probes for accurate temperature assessment in this population.
  • Further research could explore esophageal temperature's utility in non-anesthetized pediatric settings.

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