Abstract
BackgroundIndirect core body temperature (CBT) monitoring from skin sensors is gaining attention for in-field applications thanks to non-invasivity, portability, and easy probe positioning. Among skin sensors, heat-flux devices, such as the so-called Double Sensor (DS), have demonstrated reliability under various experimental and clinical conditions. Still, their accuracy at low ambient temperatures is unknown. In this randomized cross-over trial, we tested the effects of cold temperature exposition on DS performance in tracking CBT.MethodsTwenty-one participants were exposed to a warm (23.2 ± 0.4°C) and cold (−18.7 ± 1.0°C) room condition for 10 min, following a randomized cross-over design. The accuracy of the DS to estimate CBT in both settings was assessed by quantitative comparison with esophageal (reference) and tympanic (comparator) thermometers, using Bland–Altman and correlation analyses (Pearson’s correlation coefficient, r, and Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient, CCC).ResultsIn the warm room setting, the DS showed a moderate agreement with the esophageal sensor [bias = 0.09 (−1.51; 1.69) °C, r = 0.40 (p = 0.069), CCC = 0.22 (−0.006; 0.43)] and tympanic sensor [bias = 2.74 (1.13; 4.35) °C, r = 0.54 (p < 0.05), CCC = 0.09 (0.008; 0.16)]. DS accuracy significantly deteriorated in the cold room setting, where DS temperature overestimated esophageal temperature [bias = 2.16 (−0.89; 5.22) °C, r = 0.02 (0.94), CCC = 0.002 (−0.05; 0.06)]. Previous exposition to the cold influenced temperature values measured by the DS in the warm room setting, where significant differences (p < 0.00001) in DS temperature were observed between randomization groups.ConclusionDS accuracy is influenced by environmental conditions and previous exposure to cold settings. These results suggest the present inadequacy of the DS device for in-field applications in low-temperature environments and advocate further technological advancements and proper sensor insulation to improve performance in these conditions.
Highlights
Core body temperature (CBT) is commonly defined as the temperature of the brain and major internal organs (Aschoff and Wever, 1958; Kobayashi et al, 1975; Fulbrook, 1997)
Consistent with our initial hypothesis, our results demonstrated the significant deterioration of Double Sensor (DS) accuracy at low ambient temperature and the existence of differences between randomization groups, suggesting the effects of previous exposure to cold on subsequent DS measurements
We showed a significant deterioration of DS performance in estimating CBT at very low ambient temperatures
Summary
Core body temperature (CBT) is commonly defined as the temperature of the brain and major internal organs (Aschoff and Wever, 1958; Kobayashi et al, 1975; Fulbrook, 1997). These sites display some degree of invasivity, confining their use to specific clinical situations To address these problem, other places, such as the ear canal and the skin surface, have been proposed, which may allow non-invasive, indirect estimation of CBT (Brinnel and Cabanac, 1989; Gallimore, 2004; Gunga et al, 2008; Kimberger et al, 2013; Strapazzon et al, 2014; Asadian et al, 2016; Masè et al, 2020). Indirect core body temperature (CBT) monitoring from skin sensors is gaining attention for in-field applications thanks to non-invasivity, portability, and easy probe positioning. Heat-flux devices, such as the so-called Double Sensor (DS), have demonstrated reliability under various experimental and clinical conditions Still, their accuracy at low ambient temperatures is unknown. In this randomized cross-over trial, we tested the effects of cold temperature exposition on DS performance in tracking CBT
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