The Effect of Environment on Body Site Temperatures in Full-Term Neonates

The effect of environment on temperature was examined by comparing tympanic, rectal, inguinal, and axillary temperatures for 63 term infants in three environmentsincubator, bassinet, and radiant warmer. Tympanic temperatures were collected with a FirstTemp (Intelligent Medical Systems, Carlsbad, CA) infrared thermometer in the cal-tympanic mode. Rectal, inguinal, and axillary temperatures were collected with an IVAC digital thermometer (San Diego, CA) in the predictive mode. There were moderate correlations between the body site temperatures. The environment significantly influenced temperature readings at the different sites. Temperatures assessed in the superheated environments of the radiant warmer and the incubator were consistently higher than temperatures in the bassinet.