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Forehead Thermometers on Trial
Do
forehead thermometers
(described as temporal thermometers) work well? Not according to a new study:
[Craig] Crandall's team found that forehead readings were unreliable
indicators of core body temperature. Though the two devices reported the same
temperature at the start of the experiment, as the subjects' core body
temperature...rose, the temporal thermometer readings actually fell. At 50
minutes, for instance, the internally measured temperature had risen about 0.7
degrees C, on average, while the temporal thermometer reported a decrease of
about 0.3 degrees C.
...The temporal thermometer "is no better" than the tried-and-true parental
method of feeling a child's forehead, concluded Crandall. In fact, "putting your
hand on the forehead, in my opinion, is better, because we know the subject is
hot, whereas this device actually said a patient was cooling down. So, the hand
could actually be more accurate."
However, [thermometer manufacturer] Exergen President Dr. Francesco Pompei
claims the researchers failed to use the product as intended, and that colored
the final results.
July 14th, 2007
The $10,000 Thermometer
A
thermometer that monitors a child at regular intervals and warns a
parent if the temperature gets too high - it's a new product idea that has
just won a bunch of high school entrepreneurs a big prize:
For most high school sophomores, the usual Saturday morning consists of
sleeping in or sports practice. But for four 16-year-old boys from Newton
and Wellesley, the time was spent learning about the business world and
winning $10,000 for their idea for a thermometer.
The device would automatically take a child's temperature and warn the
parents if it gets too high.
...Their solution involved a patch placed in the child's armpit that takes
temperatures at regular intervals, and then sends them to a watch-like
device. The device warns the parents if the temperature passes a certain
threshold.
September 12th, 2006
Thermofocus No-Contact Thermometer
I've
written before about the Thermofocus no-contact thermometer, developed
by an Italian company. American Scientific Resources has
announced in a press release that the thermometer is now available in
the US via its Kidz-Med website.
According to the company:
The Thermofocus will be the newest product in the Kidz-Med line of
children's health and safety devices. The thermometer has patented infrared
technology that allows a temperature to be taken without touching or waking
a patient or sleeping baby. The device is totally non-invasive and takes a
temporal artery temperature at the forehead, which is a preferred site
because of its source of blood flow directly from the head. The Thermofocus
is accurate, immediate, and hygienic because it never touches the body.
August 4th, 2006
Fashion Thermometer for Kids
This is new
to me - a colorful
kids'
ear thermometer from fashion house Benetton. I can't find anything about
it on the corporate
Benetton website, and it doesn't seem to be on sale at Amazon.com. But a
few online retailers sell it.
July 24th, 2006
Choosing a Thermometer - Guidance from the Mayo Clinic
Check the
Mayo Clinic website for a useful slide show titled "Choosing a
Thermometer." The first picture illustrates five different thermometers,
and, as the caption says, "If you're over 30, you may not recognize all the
temperature-taking gadgets shown here."
May 13th, 2006
Digital Ear Thermometers Are Best
Are
digital ear thermometers really accurate? The "Body and Soul" columnist
of The Times newspaper believes they are.
A digital thermometer placed in a child’s ear canal will give you the
most accurate reading.
A team of researchers from Queen Mary’s Hospital, in Sidcup, Kent, recently
reviewed the literature on the most effective methods of monitoring a
child’s body temperature. They found that tympanic temperature, the
temperature monitored in a child’s ear canal, gives the most accurate
reading even when his or her body temperature is changing rapidly.
April 29th, 2006
Thermotek No Touch Thermometer
I've
been writing (scroll down) about the Italian-developed no-contact
thermometer that's to be released in the US. A press release suggested it
was the world's first totally non-contact thermometer.
Thanks to No Touch Thermometers Australia I've learned of another
non-contact thermometer, made by Thermotek. This takes an instant reading
when held close to the temporal artery above either eye, without touching or
wiping across the forehead. It is a fast, accurate and non-invasive method
of taking temperatures without even touching the body, and is apparently
gaining in popularity in hospitals, especially in infectious disease units.
You can read here of a
Norwegian study which found the Thermotek (known in Norway as the Comaco) to
be superior to most rivals. A little more detail is at
this
British commercial site, and further information is available by emailing
No Touch Thermometers Australia.
February 17th, 2006
Contactless Thermometer
The Italian-developed no-contact
thermometer is to be
marketed in the US. According to a press release:
American
Scientific Resources today announced an agreement between its subsidiary,
Kidz-Med Inc. and Italian manufacturer Tecnimed srl to handle the U.S.
retail and consumer distribution of the Thermofocus clinical thermometer.
The Thermofocus is the world's first totally "non-contact" thermometer and
has been marketed successfully for years in Europe and globally.
The Thermofocus will be the newest product in the Kidz-Med line of
children's health and safety devices. The thermometer has patented infrared
technology that allows a temperature to be taken without touching or waking
a patient or sleeping baby. The device is totally non-invasive and takes a
temporal artery temperature at the forehead, which is a preferred site
because of its source of blood flow directly from the head. The Thermofocus
is accurate, immediate, and hygienic because it never touches the body.
February 9th, 2006
Thermometer Guidance for Babies
A new Mum
asks a
St Louis Post-Dispatch advice columnist for help on what kind of
thermometer to use for her baby:
I'm
confused about temperature-taking. I thought rectal temperatures were the
most accurate, but now the nurse at my doctor's office says to subtract a
degree if you use a rectal thermometer. So my son's 100-degree temperature
is suddenly nothing to worry about because it's only 99. Is this right?
And the
answer:
Dr.
Heidi Sallee, assistant professor of pediatrics at St. Louis University and
a pediatrician at Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, says rectal
temperature-taking is still the standard. And go with the temperature on the
thermometer - don't worry about adding or subtracting.
"The best way to get a core temperature, a real temperature, is rectally,"
said Sallee, who also noted that "there have been no good medical studies
published to say whether you should add a degree under the arm."
For infants less than 2 months old, if a rectal temperature reaches 100.5,
it's time to call the doctor. "They are going to get a huge work-up, spinal
tap, hospital stay," says Sallee. "In infants under 2 months, that 100.5 is
critical." She says that once a child is more than 2 months old, it's best
to look at the behavior of the child combined with what the thermometer is
telling you.
"The actual degree of fever doesn't matter as much as looking at the child
and the symptoms," she said. "If the temperature is 101 and they are alert
and eating well, that's not as much of a concern as if it's 101 and they are
lethargic and not eating."
November 17th,
2005
The Best Home
Thermometers
Consumer Reports has published
its latest test results on home thermometers. The full report is only
available to subscribers, but a press release is
here. The
report found that ear and forehead thermometers, though giving very quick
readings, were difficult to use, were not always accurate and were
expensive. Rather, the
Accu-Beep digital thermometer from BD did the best job, beeping when
properly placed under the tongue and giving an accurate reading in sixty
seconds. For quicker results, the report recommended the Vick's Comfort-Flex
thermometer and the
Omron 20-seconds digital thermometer.
November 1st,
2005
Honor for Innovative Thermometer
Xilas
Medical is to be
honored at this week’s
Stars of Innovation Gala
– organized by the San Antonio Technology Accelerator Initiative – for its
ground-breaking
TempTouch
thermometer for diabetics. The thermometer is for diabetics who have nerve
damage, and allows them to check for "hot spots" or inflammation on the
bottoms of their feet. An estimated one-third of diabetics suffer from foot
ailments, and an estimated 20% of all diabetes-related hospitalizations stem
from foot problems. Further details are at the
Xilas website.
October 30th,
2005
Braun Ear Thermometer - Thermoscan IRT 3020
The Braun
ear thermometer is the third-most-popular electronic health monitor at
Amazon. Because it records body temperature so rapidly – through measuring
the infra-red heat generated by the eardrum and surrounding tissues - it is
especially suitable for use with babies and young children.
Here
is the manufacturer’s product description as given by
Amazon:
The Braun
ThermoScan model 3020, featuring
America's
best-selling ear thermometer brand, is a great choice for parents to have
on-hand for unexpected childhood illnesses. Only Braun ThermoScan is the
thermometer brand most used by pediatricians, based on surveys of
pediatricians in the U.S. Braun ThermoScan model 3020 offers proven speed,
accuracy and ease of use, so you can feel confident taking the temperature
of even your youngest family member. The Braun ThermoScan model 3020
measures temperature in the ear in just one second. The ear is an excellent
site to measure temperature because the eardrum and surrounding tissue
shares blood supply with the temperature control center in the brain. The
Braun ThermoScan model 3020 measures the heat generated by the eardrum and
surrounding tissue.
The Amazon
website also carries reviews by purchasers.
A larger
photo is
here. The
Braun website includes a useful FAQ page.
October
15th, 2005
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