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Visiomed - LX-26E - UK - 092014
- Do not drink hot or cold drinks, and not do violent exercise
whilst your temperature is being taken.
- This appliance must not be used for purposes other than taking
forehead temperature. It can be used on any person, newborn
baby, child or adult.
III. OPERATING PRINCIPLES
All objects, solid, liquid or gas, emit energy by radiation. The in-
tensity of this energy depends on the temperature of the object.
The
ThermoFlash® LX-26 EVOLUTION
infrared thermometer is
therefore able to measure the temperature of a person by the
energy the person emits. This measurement can be taken thanks
to an external temperature probe on the device which perma-
nently analyses and registers the ambient temperature. There-
fore, as soon as the operator holds the thermometer near the
body and activates the radiation sensor, the measurement is
taken instantly by detection of the infrared heat generated by the
arterial blood flow. Body heat can therefore be measured without
any interference from the heat of the surrounding environment.
BODY TEMPERATURE
A concept important: the estimation of body temperature.
The normal value of the body temperature is located on an in-
terval, and not fixed on an invariable value. Each person has his
own temperature scale. The temperature can vary depending on
age, sex, the time of day, activity and emotions, depending on the
temperature-taking method (rectal, oral, axillary, ear, forehead).
Temporal temperature-taking, located the nearest possible to the
brain and the heart, is considered as a reliable measurement be-
cause it is close to the core temperature. When the body tempera-
ture drops or increases, the body first regulates its temperature
from the brain. As the forehead and ear are the nearest body parts
to the brain, they are the first to be informed of a temperature rise.
Your physiological temperature when you are in good health
Visiomed®
, temperature-taking specialist, advises taking your
forehead temperature when you are in good health. You can
compare these results with when you have a fever.
The different methods of temperature measurement
- Core temperature
Core temperature is the most precise measurement and involves
measuring the temperature in the pulmonary artery by means
of a catheter equipped with a thermal probe which can read the
temperature in situ. The same method is employed for probes
measuring the oesophageal temperature. However, such invasive
Visiomed - LX-26E - UK - 092014
temperature measurement methods require specific equipment
and expertise.
- Rectal thermometry
Rectal temperature adjusts slowly in comparison to the evolution
of the body’s internal temperature. It has been demonstrated that
rectal temperature remains raised long after the internal tempe-
rature of the patient has started to drop and vice versa. Further-
more, rectal perforations have been known to occur as a result
of this method and without appropriate sterilisation techniques,
rectal thermometry can spread germs often found in faeces.
- Oral thermometry
Oral temperature is easily influenced by recent ingestion of food or
drinks and by breathing through the mouth. To measure oral tempera-
ture, the mouth must remain closed and the tongue lo-wered for three
to four minutes which is a difficult task for young children to accomplish.
- Axillary (armpit) temperature
Although it may be easy to measure axillary temperature, it has
been proven that it does not provide an accurate measurement of
the child’s internal temperature. To take this type of temperature,
the thermometer must be wedged tightly over the axillary ar-
tery. Despite the low sensitivity and relative inaccuracy of axillary
temperature in detecting fever, this method is recommended by
The American Academy of Pediatrics
as a screening test for fever
in newborns.
- Tympanic thermometry
In order to obtain a precise temperature reading, good com-
mand of the measurement technique is required. The thermometer
probe must be placed as close as possible to the warmest part of
the external ear canal. An incorrectly placed probe could lead to
a false temperature reading.
Advantages of temporal artery (ta) temperature
Arterial temperature can be measured using a device placed on the
forehead, in the temporal artery region. It has been demonstrated
that this relatively new method of measuring temperature is more
precise than tympanic thermometry and better tolerated than rectal
thermometry.
The
ThermoFlash® LX-26 EVOLUTION
thermometer has been designed
to produce an instant forehead temperature reading without any con-
tact with the temporal artery. As this artery is quite close to the surface
of this skin and therefore accessible and given the blood flow is perma-
nent and regular, it allows precise measurement of the temperature. This
artery is linked to the heart by the carotid artery which is directly linked
to the aorta. It forms part of the main trunk of the arterial system. The ef-
