Body temperature measurement in paediatrics: Which gadget should we believe?

TL;DRAbstract

any decisions regarding the investigation and treatmentof paediatric patients are determined by body temper-ature. In the 21st century, we still struggle to find a quickand convenient method that parents and health care workerscan use to measure body temperature accurately.The goal of measuring body temperature is to approxi-mate the core temperature, which is the temperature of theblood that bathes the temperature-regulating centre in thehypothalamus. However, there is a gradient between everybody site where temperature can be measured and the hypo-thalamus. Contrary to popular dogma, this gradient is notconstant (ie, rectal temperature is not reliably 1°C higherthan axillary temperature). Therefore, it is difficult tochoose a body site to use as the reference standard for com-paring readings obtained by different instruments or at dif-ferent sites.The following sites have been used in studies of bodytemperature measurement in children:• Pulmonary artery (PA):This site is vascular, an

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