A Comparision of Axillary with Infrared Tympanic and Non-Contact Infrared Thermometry

Abstract

Objective: Ideally, the temperature measurement should be safe, easy, noninvasive, cost effective, time efficient and technique independent and should precisely reflect core body temperature and should not be influenced by the environmental temperature. In our study, we compared the axillary digital with infrared tympanic and forehead non-contact infrared measurement.

Material and Methods: Axillary digital, tympanic infrared and non-contact forehead measurements were taken simultaneously with devices used in hospital routinely.

Results: Temperature was measured for 276 patients between 0 and 14 years old. Infrared tympanic measurements were significantly higher than axillary (p<0.001) and non-contact infrared measurements (p<0.001). There was no difference between axillary and forehead measurements (p=0.999). Feverish patients who measured by axillary method was not detected in 11.6% of tympanic and 41.9% of non-contact forehead measurements.

Conclusion: Tympanic infrared measurements are higher than axillary digital and non-contact infrared measurements. Temperature measurement must be reassured with other techniques in case of any doubt.