Ambulance Management Research Articles

The effect of ambulance treatment on patient temperature normalisation

ABSTRACTThe range of patient temperatures encountered in ambulance practice in winter (July to September) in Adelaide was studied using tympanic membrane infra red thermometers. The results were expressed in equivalent oral temperatures. The effectiveness of ambulance treatment in normalising hypothermia and pyrexia was also studied.Results of 383 cases were analysed. The mean temperature was 36.4 C (oral equivalent). There was no significant difference in initial temperature with age or nature of case (trauma, medical emergency and non urgent elective cases). The temperature of patients who were initially either hypothermic or febrile was significantly normalised by ambulance treatment.These results confirm the effectiveness of ambulance treatment for patients with abnormal temperatures, and provide a starting point for further research into improving the ambulance management of hypothermia and fever.