Abstract
Background: This study aimed to determine the optimum time required to measure rectal temperature in children with mercury-in-glass thermometers. Methods: This cross-sectional observational study involved a random sample of pediatric patients ≤5 years of age. Body temperature was measured for 3 - 5 minutes using standard mercury-in-glass rectal thermometers. Outcomes were rectal body temperatures at 1, 2, and 3 minutes until reaching a stable rectal temperature, and the final rectal temperature. Results: This study recruited 120 children. Mean time to reach a stable rectal temperature was 1.8 minutes (range: 30 seconds to five minutes). 90% of pediatric patients’ temperature came out within ±0.1°C of the final temperature at two minutes. There was no correlation between the time taken to reach a stable rectal temperature and age, body weight, gender, or the final temperature. Conclusion: Mercury-in-glass thermometers can be used to obtain accurate rectal temperature measurements at two minutes in routine pediatric practice.
Highlights
Fever, defined as an elevation of the regulated set-point temperature by pyrogens, is frequently encountered in pediatrics [1]-[6]
Mean final rectal temperature was 38.4 ̊C; 48 children were considered to have a normal body temperature and 72 children were diagnosed with fever [24] [25]
Mean time to reach a stable rectal temperature was 1.8 minutes. 25.8% of cases showed rectal temperature was stable at 1 minute, in 78.3% of cases rectal temperature was stable at 2 minutes, and in 95.0% of cases rectal temperature was stable at 3 minutes (Table 1)
Summary
Fever, defined as an elevation of the regulated set-point temperature by pyrogens, is frequently encountered in pediatrics [1]-[6]. The objective diagnosis of fever in children is based on the measurement of body temperature at a peripheral site with an accurate thermometer [6] [9]. This study aimed to determine the optimum time required to measure rectal temperature in children with mercury-in-glass thermometers. Body temperature was measured for 3 - 5 minutes using standard mercury-in-glass rectal thermometers. Outcomes were rectal body temperatures at 1, 2, and 3 minutes until reaching a stable rectal temperature, and the final rectal temperature. There was no correlation between the time taken to reach a stable rectal temperature and age, body weight, gender, or the final temperature. Conclusion: Mercury-in-glass thermometers can be used to obtain accurate rectal temperature measurements at two minutes in routine pediatric practice
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