• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.668-680
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• 2014

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the accuracy of infrared temperature measurements compared to axillary temperature in order to detect fever in patients. Methods: Studies published between 1946 and 2012 from periodicals indexed in Ovid Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane, KoreaMed, NDSL, KERIS and other databases were selected using the following key words: "infrared thermometer". QUADAS-II was utilized to assess the internal validity of the diagnostic studies. Selected studies were analyzed through a meta-analysis using MetaDisc 1.4. Results: Twenty-one diagnostic studies with high methodological quality were included representing 3,623 subjects in total. Results of the meta-analysis showed that the pooled sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC) of infrared tympanic thermometers were 0.73 (95% CI 0.70~0.75), 0.92 (95% CI 0.91~0.92), and 0.90, respectively. For axillary temperature readings, the pooled sensitivity was 0.67 (95% CI 0.62~0.73), the pooled specificity was 0.87 (95% CI 0.85~0.90), and the AUC was 0.80. Conclusion: Infrared tympanic temperature can predict axillary temperature in normothermic and in febrile patients with an acceptable level of diagnostic accuracy. However, further research is necessary to substantiate this finding in patients with hyperthermia.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.424-433
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• 2012

Purpose: To investigate the accuracy, precision and validity of fever detection of tympanic membrane (TM), temporal artery (TA) and axillary temperature (AT) compared with pulmonary artery temperature (PA). Methods: Repeated-measures design was conducted for one year on 83 adult cardiac care unit patients with pulmonary artery catheters after open heart surgery. Sequential temperature measurements were taken three times at 20-minute intervals. Accuracy, precision, repeatability, and validity of fever detection were analyzed. Results: Mean pulmonary artery temperature was $37.04^{\circ}C$ (SD $0.70^{\circ}C$). The mean (SD) offsets from PA, with the mean reflecting accuracy and SD reflecting precision, were $-1.31^{\circ}C$ ($0.75^{\circ}C$) for TA, $-0.20^{\circ}C$ ($0.24^{\circ}C$) for TM, and $-0.97^{\circ}C$ ($0.64^{\circ}C$) for AT. Percentage of pairs with differences within ${\pm}0.5^{\circ}C$ was 9.6% for TA, 19.7% for AT, and 91.6% for TM. Repeated measurements with all three methods had mean SD values within $0.04^{\circ}C$. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of tympanic measurements were 0.76, 1.0, and 1.0, and 0.90, respectively. Conclusion: Results show that TM best reflects PA, and is most consistent, accurate, and precise. AT tends to underestimate PA, and TA is least accurate and precise. Therefore tympanic membrane measurement is a reliable alternative to other non-invasive methods of measuring temperatures.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.86-96
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• 2000

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of Warming Therapy used with patients consistantly before and during surgery to on changes in their body temperatures. The data were collected from patients in a university hospital in Taegu between December 1, 1998 and May 31, 1999. The subjects were selected from patients who were hospitalized for total hip replacement surgery. Thirty participants were assigned to two groups : experimental(Warming Therapy) group and control group. Each group consisted of 15 patients. The research design was a repeated measurement design, using a nonequivalent control group. The Warming Therapy, using a forced-air warming blanket, that is a, 'Bair Hugger' was applied to subjects in the experimental group. The subjects in the group were treated with the 'Bair Hugger' to warm up the whole body for 40 minutes before surgery and upper body and face during the operation. The core temperature was measured using a tympanic thermometer. The body temperature of the patients was measured 13 times every 15 minutes during the surgery. After the operation the body temperature of the patients was measured 4 times every 15 minutes, from the time of arrivial in the recovery room to the time of leaving the recovery room. The SPSS Win 9.0 program was used for data analysis. Specific methods tested were done using ${\chi}^2-test$, t-test, repeated measures ANOVA. The findings of the study are as follows. 1. The first hypothesis, 'The level of tympanic temperature for the experimental group which received Warming Therapy will be higher than that of the control group during the operation', was supported (F=32.16, p=.000). 2. The second hypothesis, 'The level of tympanic temperature for the experimental group which received Warming Therapy will be higher than that of the control group after the operation', was supported.(F=33.36, p=.000) 3. During recovery, shivering was observed one patient in the experimental group and seven patients in the control group. In summary, the findings of the study suggest that the 'Warming Therapy' applied before and during the surgery was a very effective treatment for surgical patients in maintaining the core temperature during surgery

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.25-32
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• 2012

Purpose: influence of benzodiazepine (midazolam)or cholinergic inhibitor (atropine or glycopyrrlate) on intra-operative body temperature remains unclear and controversial. This study compares intra-operative body temperature in 50 abdominal surgical patients under general anesthesia between the administration of midazolam and glycopyrrolate in combination, or glycopyrrolate alone. Methods: Patients who underwent abdominal surgery were recruited from September 2008 through October 2009 at Gachon University Gil hospital in incheon. Core body temperature was measured in the right ear using a tympanic membrane thermometer at induction of general anesthesia and at 1 hr, 2 hr, and 3 hr after induction. Results: There were no differences in core body temperature at any measurement point between either patient group (F=1.08, $p$=.377). Core body temperature decreased throughout the 3 hr after induction in both groups (F=9.22, $p$ <.001). Specially, core temperatures at induction of general anesthesia (p<.001), 1 hr (p<.001), 2 hr ($p$ <.001), and 3 hr ($p$ <.001) after induction were lower than before administration of midazolam and glycopyrrolate, or glycopyrrolate alone. Conclusion: We conclude that a cholinergic inhibitor (glycopyrrolate, 0.1 mg) therefore seems not to affect intra-operative body temperature of patients given a benzodiazepine (midazolam, 0.04 mg $kg^{-1}$), and not to increase body temperature in patients not given a benzodiazepine during the 3 hr after the induction of general anesthesia. Intra-operative warming therefore is needed to prevent hypothermia in surgical patients who receive pre-operative administration of midazolam and/or glycopyrrolate.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.62-67
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• 2000

Background and Purpose: Sybsun-points are located at the tips of all fingers, 0.1chon from the finger nails, totaling 10 points on both hands. These points have been used for emergency care, fainting, epilepsy, cerebrovascular accidents, hypertension, unconsciousness, high fever etc. The most common technique is bleeding with a needle at these points. Hypertension and fever are the main factors for stroke patients’progress. We investigated whether venesection at Sybsun-points has effects on blood pressure and body temperature in stroke patients. Materials and Methods: 79 stroke patients were enrolled in this study from 1 Jan. 1999 to 30 Sep. 1999. All of them were admitted in Kyunghee University, Hospital of Oriental Medicine. Among them, 62 patients were hypertensive people, 17 were normal. Among the hypertensive patients, 27 were stage 1,20 were stage 2, 15 were stage 3 by classification of JNC 1997. All of the hypertensive patients had been taking drugs, while the normal group did not. From 2pm to 3pm, every 30 minutes we checked patients' blood pressure and body temperature by 24ABPM and tympanic thermometer. After 30 minutes passed, we phlebotomized patients Sybsun-points with Samneung needle 2-3cc of blood. Right after the bleeding, we checked blood pressure and body temperature. After the bleeding, for the next hour and a half, we checked each patient’s blood pressure and body temperature every thirty minutes, or a total of three times. We compared the blood pressure and the body temperature before and after treatment(p<0.05). Results: 1. Venesection at Sybsun-points significantly decreased systolic blood pressure on stage 3 hypertensive patients(p<0.0l). 2. Venesection at Sybsun-points significantly decreased diastolic blood pressure on stage 3 hypertensive patients(p<0.05) 3. Venesection at Sybsun-points had no effect on the change of body temperature. Conclusions: Though further study is needed, our findings suggest that Venesection at Sybsun-points may alleviate hypertension in stroke patients.