Emergency Medical Minute Episode 979: Oral vs Temporal Thermometers
Oct 20, 2025
Discover the intriguing debate over oral and temporal thermometers in pediatric and adult patients. A recent study reveals 26% of children show significant differences, with temporal readings consistently lower. Adults aren't exempt, with 36% affected too, impacting clinical decisions. Factors like room temperature and perfusion inaccuracies contribute to errors. Understand how these discrepancies can hinder sepsis identification, stressing the need for accurate measurements. Ultimately, the discussion champions oral thermometers for their reliability despite being a bit more cumbersome in practice.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Temporal Readings Often Underestimate Temperature
- A 2025 study found temporal readings were often lower than oral, with 26% of children and 36% of adults showing meaningful differences.
- Temporal thermometers are affected by room temperature, sweat, placement, and poor perfusion which reduces accuracy.
Younger Children Are More Likely To Show Differences
- Children under 12 were 2–3 times more likely to have a statistical difference between temporal and oral readings.
- In adults, 36% had temporal readings about 0.5°C lower than oral or rectal temperatures.
Environment And Physiology Skew Temporal Readings
- Temporal thermometers’ accuracy drops with ambient conditions and physiologic factors like poor perfusion.
- Sweat, incorrect placement, and vasoconstriction can all cause falsely low temporal readings.