Abstract |
A cross-sectional study was conducted in an urban emergency department to determine if predictive variables existed that would identify a patient who would be afebrile by oral temperature measurement and febrile by rectal temperature measurement. This study included 366 patients. Five variables studied achieved statistical significance by univariant analysis: mouth breathing (P = .002), respiratory rate (P = .001), supplemental oxygen (P = .009), pulse (P = .0001), and supplemental oxygen via mask (P = .01). Placing these variables in a logistic regression model left two variables that significantly explained the variance of the model: pulse (odds-risk ratio, 1.032/increase in pulse of 1 from 0; 95% confidence interval, 1.020 to 1.039) and mouth breathing (odds-risk ratio, 2.113; 95% confidence interval, 1.41 to 3.43). There was poor linear correlation between oral and rectal temperatures (r = 0.2). If a patient has an unexplained tachycardia and/or is breathing by mouth and is afebrile orally, a rectal temperature measurement should be obtained to determine if fever exists. The results of this study suggest that good linear correlation does not exist between oral and rectal temperature measurements.
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Authors | K Kresovich-Wendler, M A Levitt, L Yearly |
Journal | The American journal of emergency medicine
(Am J Emerg Med)
Vol. 7
Issue 4
Pg. 391-4
(Jul 1989)
ISSN: 0735-6757 [Print] United States |
PMID | 2786721
(Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article)
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Topics |
- Adult
- Body Temperature
- Cross-Sectional Studies
- Emergency Service, Hospital
- Fever
(diagnosis)
- Humans
- Middle Aged
- Mouth
- Mouth Breathing
- Philadelphia
- Prognosis
- Rectum
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