Comparison of temporal artery temperature and bladder temperature in the postanesthesia care unit

Abstract

To verify that temporal artery (TA) temperature measured in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) in noncardiac surgical patients is a valid reflection of core temperature, a prospective, observational, institutional review board-approved study was conducted in a large, academic tertiary care hospital. The study developed from an initial quality improvement project. A total of 276 patients who had an indwelling bladder catheter as standard of care were enrolled when a research student was available over a 6month period in 2015. Infrared TA temperature was measured (average of three readings) simultaneously with bladder temperature on PACU arrival. Mean temperature in the bladder and TA groups was >36 C with a clinically negligible difference (0.125 C; 90% confidence interval, 0.059-0.192). Agreement between bladder and TA temperatures, as well as between bladder and last operating room temperatures, was >95% by Bland-Altman analysis. A properly performed TA temperature measure on PACU arrival is an acceptable representation of core temperature for purposes of quality assessment, patient comfort, and regulatory requirements.

Comparison of infrared tympanic and non-contact temporal artery thermometer in determining the body temperature of patients in cardiovascular surgical intensive care

“…Asadian et al found that measurements with NCTAT and ITT were safer [20]. Again, in the post-anesthesia care unit [30,31], colorectal-gynecological [23], rehabilitation period of patients with spinal cord and brain trauma [32] or in patients undergoing major surgical intervention [11,19,31], it is stated that the results of measurements made with NCTAT and ITT are agreement and that invasive measurement method should be used as a reference [11,19,30]. In a metaanalysis of 11 studies in 1764 patients, Geijer et al emphasized that NCTAT is more reliable than ITT and may replace ITT in the future [10].…”