Question

Explain why you shouldn’t use a temporal artery thermometer to measure core body temperature over the radial artery.

Answer 1

routinely used temperature sites are:

• mouth
• rectum
• tympanic membrane
• temporal artery
• axilla

temporal artery

advantages :

• easy to access
• very rapid measurement
• no risk of injury
• comfortable for the client
• eliminates the need to disrobe
• used in newborns, infants and children
• reflects rapid change in core temperature

limitations

• inaccurate with head covering or hair
• affected by skin moisture such as sweating
• cannot use if the continuous measurement is required

temporal artery thermometer is used for temperature measurement that uses infrared technology to detect the heat that is radiated from the skin surface over the temporal artery. despite lying so close to the skin surface, the temporal artery perfusion, the flow of blood per unit volume of tissue, remains relatively constant core body temperature is the temperature of deep tissues which is relatively constant, accurate as a rectal temperature on a stable patient.

The radial artery is not superficial and it is peripheral. Peripheral temperature is recorded in tissues such as the skin, where environmental factors and a lack of insulating connective tissue influence temperature. Core body temperature is found in the blood supplying organs such as the brain and those in the abdominal and thoracic cavities. Core temperature may be affected by intrinsic factors and, to a lesser degree, extrinsic (environmental) factors.