What is the most accurate way to measure body temperature?

How to measure temperature quickly and accurately?

Everyone remembers mercury thermometers from childhood. They hid them under their arms and waited tediously for him to show the result. In the case of an adult, this is not a problem. But if this is a child, especially a small one, he will have to try, he will have to run, crawl, jump, or God forbid, play with the mercury thermometer itself. Adults are required to ensure continuity of temperature measurement and safety of the thermometer. In the event of a mercury spill, you will have to treat the room and call a special service, and the child may be cut by fragments.

It is not easy for older people to see the results on a mercury thermometer. An older person may accidentally drop the thermometer when shaking it. It would seem that there are no buttons on a mercury thermometer, but learning to shake it off is a separate skill. If you shake the thermometer with the wrong side, the mercury column will split into parts and the device will cease to perform its function. After use, it must be stored and transported in a special case to protect the fragile device.

How to determine the presence of fever without a thermometer: signs of high temperature

Of course, it is difficult to determine heat with high accuracy without measuring equipment. The average person feels a temperature above 38 degrees, so if the patient has a slight increase, you are unlikely to detect it. Only a thermometer can do this. But if a person has a strong fever that needs to be brought down, it is quite noticeable.

Signs of fever:

• Rapid breathing. It is quite heavy, intermittent
• Rapid pulse. Typically, people with a fever have beats per minute greater than 100
• The appearance of an unhealthy blush. It is difficult to notice if a person has dark skin. Usually seen on people with fair skin
• A person may experience short-term convulsions. This usually happens when the temperature rises to 39 degrees.
• During a fever, the skin may be sticky and wet.
• A person is constantly thirsty and feels dry
• Chills may occur. Despite the fact that the room temperature is comfortable, the patient is shaking and constantly wants to cover himself with a warm blanket or put on a large amount of clothing
• Cold extremities. This often happens in children with cold fever.

Heat

The second method “according to tempering colors (tarnish)”

When the metal is heated from 200 to 300 degrees, tarnished colors appear on a surface cleaned with emery (table “Tempering Colors”) due to the formation of oxide films of varying densities; Each film reflects rays of only a certain color.

How to determine the temperature without a thermometer in an adult or child?

To determine the presence of fever, it is useless to touch the arms and legs. Because they can be absolutely cold. This happens in children.

Methods:

• The places that most accurately tell you about an increase in temperature are the forehead, neck, armpits, under the knees, and also the tummy in children. It is these places that should be touched in order to determine the presence of fever.
• Touch what you need with your hands. For greater accuracy, you need to touch the hot area with your lips
• Children's eyelids can be touched. Place your lips on your baby's forehead and feel. Usually a temperature rise above 37.5 degrees is felt
• Signs of high fever are nausea and vomiting. There is weakness and lethargy
• The most interesting thing is that many children, even at a temperature above 38 degrees, can run around and be quite cheerful, but at the same time other symptoms of fever remain
• Pay attention to the color of your child's urine. The fact is that when the temperature rises, adults usually drink large amounts of water, which dries them out. Young children may not ask for liquids. Therefore, you need to give your child something to drink from time to time.
• Look at the color of his urine. As the temperature rises, the body becomes dehydrated and moisture evaporates quickly. In this case, the color of the urine becomes bright yellow, even orange. If this occurs in your child, it indicates a fever.
• One of the most dangerous symptoms of fever is seizures. In children under 5 years of age, convulsions often occur when the temperature rises to 39 degrees. If they last no more than 3 minutes, then there is nothing to worry about. But usually the parents of such children have antipyretic and special anticonvulsant drugs in their medicine cabinet. They must be given to the child because it can be dangerous.
• If you have seizures that last more than 3 minutes, you must urgently call an ambulance, because the phenomenon is neurologically dangerous. This may affect brain function

Child's temperature

Axillary method

The armpit temperature is mainly measured in Central and Eastern European countries. This is a fairly accurate method of measurement, provided that the thermometer is placed deep, pressed tightly, and the measurement is taken for at least 7-10 minutes.

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Features : This measurement method is not suitable for obese people. Adipose tissue serves as a layer between the thermometer and the body, so the thermometer readings cannot always be trusted. An axillary measurement will also be inaccurate if the armpit is sweaty or if the person took hot or cold water before the measurement.

The normal temperature in the armpit is 36.0-36.9 degrees.

How to understand that you have a temperature without a thermometer: when to see a doctor?

Symptoms that require calling an ambulance:

• You should definitely call an ambulance if the convulsions last more than 3 minutes
• Along with a hot forehead, as well as the area under the knees, there is severe chest pain
• The person has difficulty swallowing and is vomiting and will not stop
• There is blood in the sputum or vomit or diarrhea
• If a person is hallucinating, delirious, has a high fever that causes sweat to appear on the surface of the skin

If you have any of these symptoms, you need to call an ambulance. If you feel that a person is hot and there are symptoms that indicate a fever, that is, the person is chilling or feels weak, muscle pain, then you can give the person an antipyretic. Nowadays there are a large number of drugs in the pharmacy. It is worth choosing according to the person’s condition.

Gives you a fever

Features of using contactless devices

It would seem that this is the ideal solution, convenient and functional. But, since this is a complex electronic device, many factors influence its accuracy. Manufacturers of even the most expensive devices claim an error of + 0.2°C if all conditions for correct measurement are met. If you violate even one, the deviation will be even greater!

Requirements for working conditions:

• the device correctly measures temperature only in certain conditions (approximately 16-40°C ambient);
• the device should be in this temperature mode for 30 minutes;
• the person being measured must be in the same temperature conditions for at least 10 minutes, and preferably 30;
• at least 30 minutes should also pass after eating, bathing, or physical training;
• The forehead skin should be clean and dry. If cream, dirt, sweat, water is present this may also change the readings;
• The radiation sensor window must be clean and not contaminated with anything (it is recommended to wipe with alcohol. Water is prohibited!);
• the distance between the device and the skin during measurement must coincide with the instructions (3-5-7 cm depending on the model);
• prevent the ingress of warm currents from heaters and batteries;
• Do not hold it in your hand for too long, because this may cause the device to heat up.

If for some reason the requirements are not so stringent, honest manufacturers increase the error in the instructions, there is no question of Chinese devices that have not passed certification.

Antipyretic suppositories for children and adults

It is best to administer suppositories to children, because high fever is often combined with vomiting. Even though there are no intestinal infections, small children with a sore throat cough violently, which can also cause severe vomiting. In this case, giving an antipyretic orally is useless, because the child will still vomit the medicine. In this case, the ideal option would be to use candles.

List of antipyretic suppositories for children and adults:

• Ibufen
• Efferalgan
• Analdim
• Tsefekon
• Nurofen
• Panadol

Please note that doctors do not recommend lowering the temperature below 38 degrees. Because the body must fight it on its own. If your child is fainting at a temperature of 37.5, then he needs to be given an antipyretic. It all depends on the condition of the child. For children who develop seizures, even with a slight increase in temperature, it is recommended to give an antipyretic in order not to provoke seizures.

Gives you a fever

Oral method

“The most popular way to measure temperature in the USA,” says Tatyana Muravskaya, an infectious disease doctor at St. Barnabas Hospital (New Jersey, USA) . “Clinical trials and medical practice in the United States have shown that when measuring temperature in the mouth, the indicators are much more accurate than when measuring in the armpit.”

Article on the topic

The history of the creation of the thermometer: how was the first thermometer invented?
Features : When measuring temperature, it is important to ensure that the tip of the thermometer is located under the tongue and the mouth is closed.
It is also important not to smoke or drink hot or cold drinks 5 minutes before the measurement. The normal value of oral temperature is 36.0-37.4 degrees.

How to measure your own temperature without a thermometer?

Below is a simple technique that will help determine fever without measuring equipment.

Methodology:

• One of the most common options is to cup your palms
• Leave a small gap and exhale forcefully into it
• If the wings of your nose feel intense heat, it means you have a fever.
• In addition, you can measure your pulse. Usually people know what the standard resting heart rate is.
• If it is 30 beats more, then most likely the temperature is approaching 39-40 degrees. This is a significant increase in heart rate, which is usually triggered by an increase in temperature
• If you suspect a high temperature, you should try to move your eyes up, down, right and left. If this is difficult to do and the eyelids and eye muscles hurt terribly, this indicates a high temperature
• In addition, joint pain and chills are observed. An unhealthy blush may appear
• At the same time, the frequency of breaths increases, reaching more than 30 per minute.

Chills
All these signs indirectly indicate fever. You can find out the exact value only with the help of a thermometer.

Mercury thermometer

The operating principle of this device is simple and clear. It's essentially a reservoir of mercury. When heated, mercury increases in volume and enters the measuring tube. Excess mercury forms the very column by which, thanks to the drawn scale, we determine the temperature. A mercury thermometer is considered the most accurate of existing household appliances, but, unfortunately, it has a couple of significant disadvantages.

• Quite a long measurement time.
• The main thing is that mercury is extremely toxic. And since these thermometers are very fragile, if you break the device, you expose your household to serious risk.

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What to do if the thermometer is broken?

1. Put on a gauze bandage and rubber gloves.
2. Get everyone out of the room, including animals.
3. Keep the room temperature as low as possible to reduce evaporation.
4. Collect the mercury, but not with a broom or vacuum cleaner, but with a damp cloth or tape. Sheets of paper will also help you.
5. Make sure that the mercury does not stick to the sole of your shoes and you do not spread it around the room.
6. Treat the floor with a solution of potassium permanganate.
7. It is best to call a special service that will once again process the room and remove the remaining mercury.

How to shoot down?

The drug of first choice is paracetamol. There are many forms: syrups, suppositories, tablets. Ibuprofen is used to enhance the effect. The combined drug – Ibuklin is intended for oral administration. For children with extreme heat, 2 suppositories can be administered at once: 1 with paracetamol, 2 with ibuprofen (Cefekon + Nurofen). Preferably after bowel movement.

After 15-20 minutes, the substances will be absorbed into the blood, and the action of the drugs will begin. Before measuring the temperature rectally, you should lubricate the sensitive element with oil, then insert the device into the anus 2-3 cm. The main manifestations of relieving fever are profuse sweating and a general improvement in well-being.

Accuracy - up to 1.5 degrees

The operating principle of an electronic thermometer differs significantly from the classic mercury thermometer. The indication of temperature in the second occurs due to the increase in the volume of mercury when heated, which by and large makes it unimportant how to hold it. In electronic thermometers, the sensor is located at the end, so only the heating of this part affects the readings. The rest of the thermometer is just wires. It is for this reason that you need to carefully monitor the position of the thermometer to achieve accuracy. If the contact with the body is loose or the sensor is partially free, the temperature will be lower.

The error of an electronic thermometer can be quite large (1.5 degrees), especially if you measured the temperature incorrectly and quickly.