Infra-red Thermometry: the Reliability of Tympanic and Temporal Artery Readings for Predicting Brain Temperature After Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

Overview

Journal Crit Care

Specialty Critical Care

Date 2009 May 29

PMID 19473522

Citations 9

Authors

Danielle Kirk

Timothy Rainey

Andy Vail

Charmaine Childs

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Introduction: Temperature measurement is important during routine neurocritical care especially as differences between brain and systemic temperatures have been observed. The purpose of the study was to determine if infra-red temporal artery thermometry provides a better estimate of brain temperature than tympanic membrane temperature for patients with severe traumatic brain injury.

Methods: Brain parenchyma, tympanic membrane and temporal artery temperatures were recorded every 15-30 min for five hours during the first seven days after admission.

Results: Twenty patients aged 17-76 years were recruited. Brain and tympanic membrane temperature differences ranged from -0.8 degrees C to 2.5 degrees C (mean 0.9 degrees C). Brain and temporal artery temperature differences ranged from -0.7 degrees C to 1.5 degrees C (mean 0.3 degrees C). Tympanic membrane temperature differed from brain temperature by an average of 0.58 degrees C more than temporal artery temperature measurements (95% CI 0.31 degrees C to 0.85 degrees C, P < 0.0001).

Conclusions: At temperatures within the normal to febrile range, temporal artery temperature is closer to brain temperature than is tympanic membrane temperature.

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