Usefulness of an Infrared Earphone-Type Thermometer for Pediatric Patients during General Anesthesia: A Pilot Study
Shunsuke Tachibana*, Yumi Igarashi, Michiaki Yamakage
Affiliation
Department of Anesthesiology, Sapporo Medical University, School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
Corresponding Author
Shunsuke Tachibana, M.D, Department of Anesthesiology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, South 1, West16, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8543, Japan, Tel: +81-11-611-2111 (ext.3570); Fax: +81-11-631-9683; E-mail: shunsuke.tachibana@gmail.com
Citation
Tachibana, S., et al. Usefulness of an Infrared Earphone-Type Thermometer for Pediatric Patients during General Anesthesia: a Pilot Study. (2017) J Anesth Surg 4(2): 150-153.
Copy rights
© 2017 Tachibana, S. This is an Open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Keywords
Abstract
Purpose: We have developed an infrared earphone-type thermometer (“CE-thermo®”) able to continuously monitor body temperature in pediatric patients undergoing general anesthesia. In this study, we evaluated the usefulness of this device in pediatric patients receiving general anesthesia for non-cardiac surgery.
Methods: After approval from Sapporo Medical University Research Ethics Board, twenty pediatric patients scheduled for non-cardiac surgery under general anaesthesia were enrolled in this study. During general anesthesia, both esophageal temperature (Teso) and tympanic temperature (Ttym, measured by “CE-thermo®”) were monitored and continuously recorded for subsequent analysis. This is a pilot study that enrolled twenty patients scheduled for non-cardiac surgery under general anaesthesia. All patients were ASA physical status 1 or 2 and aged between 4 and 12 years.
Results: The Pearson’s correlation coefficient was 0.84, indicating a strong correlation between oesophageal temperature and tympanic temperature. A Bland-Altman plot showed that the mean bias of the “CE-thermo®” was -0.19, below that of Teso (2 SD ± 0.60°C).
Conclusion: The new earphone-type thermometer “CE-thermo®” is highly reliable for core body temperature monitoring in pediatric patients during general anesthesia.
