Clinical Study Finds Breakthrough Temporal Artery Infrared Thermometry More Accurate Than Ear Thermometry

Thursday March 22, 8:58 am Eastern Time

BOSTON--(BW HealthWire)--March 22, 2001--A newly published study conducted by doctors at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School concluded that a new temporal artery thermometer, ``is more accurate than the tympanic [ear] thermometer in infants, and is better tolerated by infants than rectal thermometry'' (Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, March 2001). The new thermometer --TemporalScanner(TM) by Exergen Corporation, is a fast, non-invasive, and gentle method of taking the temperature of infants, children and adults by gently swiping the thermometer across the temporal artery area of the forehead. The objective of the study, co-authored by Drs. Gary R. Fleisher (Chief, Division of Emergency Medicine at Boston Children's Hospital and Professor in Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School) and David S. Greenes (Assistant in Medicine, Division of Emergency Medicine at Boston Children's Hospital and Instructor in Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School) was to evaluate the accuracy of the new noninvasive temporal artery (TA) thermometer using rectal temperature as the criterion standard. The study compares the accuracy of the TemporalScanner thermometer with the ear thermometer, and also compares patients discomfort using the TemporalScanner with their discomfort using ear and rectal thermometry. The study authors reported that: ``We have found the TA thermometer to be significantly more accurate than the tympanic thermometer for predicting rectal temperature in infants. The TA thermometer is significantly more sensitive than the tympanic thermometer for the detection of rectal fever in infants. In addition, the TA thermometer is better tolerated by patients than the rectal thermometer.'' According to Frank Pompei, founder and CEO of Exergen Corporation, ``Our mission when inventing the TemporalScanner was to provide clinicians and consumers with a kinder, gentler, and more accurate method to take temperature than is currently available, in response to the many physicians who have expressed dissatisfaction with the older methods. We plan to complete our introduction of the new method to the medical professional community over the next several months before introducing a consumer version.'' About Exergen Exergen Corporation is a leading innovator and manufacturer of an extensive line of patented infrared scanners, thermometers, sensors and controls used in a wide variety of industrial and medical applications for professional and consumer use. The company is dedicated to providing products that are more non-invasive, cost-effective, reliable and accurate than any other thermometry method. For information about Exergen's TemporalScanner, please contact, Exergen Corporation, 400 Pleasant St., Watertown, MA 02472; 617-923-9900; Fax 617-923-9911. Information is also available at medical@exergen.com. Contact: Exergen Corporation Marybeth Pompei 617-923-9900, ext.6202 mpompei@exergen.com