About ear thermometers

The tympanic thermometer, or simply, the ear thermometer, measures a persons temperature by infrared light. One only has to put it in the ear and press a button to see the temperature on the display. The measurements are very exact, however not as exact as with a rectal thermometer. Up to half a degree Fahrenheit is how much a measurement can differ between the two. This is why it is not recommended to use an ear thermometer on an infant just a couple of months old, cause half a degree in this case is a lot. However, for everyone that is not an infant, the ear thermometer is a brilliant invention that makes very accurate readings of a persons temperature, instantly and without fuss. They may be used on adults and children and even toddlers, but again, avoid using them on an infant that's only a few months old.
Another big advantage is that germs are not as easily transmitted as with other thermometers.

More on ear thermometers

If you are kid or young teen there is also another big disadvantage: since the reading is instantenous, you will not be able to hold the thermometer up to a light bulb trying to increase the reading on the display trying to be allowed to be home from school!

It's possible to take a pets temperature using an ear thermometer, for example if you have a dog. Just be sure to insert it deep into the ear canal for the reading to be accurate. There are also models made especially for pets and animals.

Many ear thermometers have built in memory for storing readings for later viewing.

If one browses around the internet for ear thermometer reviews, the Braun models get very good reviews. Also Samsung, Omron and Vicks are trusted manufacturers. Prices range from 20 to 50 dollars.

Ear thermometers are the latest addition to a long line of thermometer development and advancement. Can you remember being ill when you were a young child? I’m sure you do and that you can also recall memories of having to have your temperature taken by one of those old style mercury thermometers. And what a task that was! Not only were you suffering from a fever which we all know makes you feel hot, tired and very irritable at the least, but you had to sit still patiently with the mercury thermometer under your tongue. When irritable, patience is the least of virtues that we possess. And if the old style thermometer was disturbed or not sitting correctly then a false reading was given and the time was wasted. So you had to endure the whole process all over again. Well these days, those bad memories are a thing of the past and you do not have to subject your own child or children to those prehistoric and extremely inconvenient methods of taking their temperature.

Ear thermometers are the reason for this and their popularity are increasing every day. Some time in the future they will be a part of every household and so they should be. These digital ear thermometers combine digital technology along with thermal imaging in order to give an accurate temperature reading of the subject they are testing. Many doctors now use these in their surgeries and parents are beginning to cotton on to the benefits of owning one of these devices. Not only do they give off accurate readings but they are in fact so simple to use that any member of the family can use one. Basically all one has to do is place the tip of the thermometer in to the ear and then press a button on the handle of the piece of equipment and wait for the unit to beep. Once the beep has sounded, that is the voice of the ear thermometers telling that the task has been completed and you now have your temperature reading. And all of this happens in just a few seconds.

Ear thermometers as well as being so easy to use are also more hygienic. The old style mercury thermometers were used orally or inserted into the rectum. And you can correct me if I’m mistaken but I’m sure that my mother used to boil the old style thermometer in water to sterilise it before use and then again after use. Can you imagine having to go through all those procedures just to obtain a temperature reading? Well thankfully with ear thermometers they are just placed inside the ear and after use to clean them all you have to do is wipe over the tip with an anti bacterial wipe.

Ear thermometers though on the downside have questions directed at them about their accuracy. But like everything else in life, if you don’t use the equipment properly then the job is not done correctly. The advancements in technology and the research placed into the ear thermometer make them very good and suitable instruments for taking body temperatures. To get the best from your ear thermometers always read the instruction manuals thoroughly and as they are powered by batteries always make sure that your unit has a fully charged battery in it. A low powered or faulty battery will definitely affect the reading it makes.

FEVER IN CHILDREN

Ear thermometers are used to take body temperatures when your child has a suspected fever. A fever is a part of the armoury of the body’s defence mechanism to combat against viruses and bacteria. To defeat these bacteria or viruses what the body does is to create extra heat in order to make the temperature too high for the bacteria or virus to survive. So as uncomfortable as a fever is, it actually is a good thing for the body. There are actions that can be taken to reduce the symptoms of a fever to help someone feel more comfortable. But in all honesty it’s not possible and definitely not desirable to try and get the body temperature back to normal when someone’s body is fighting off an infection.

Ear thermometers take the core temperature of the body through the ear. The core temperature is that of the temperature of the deep tissues of the body. In good health the body makes automatic adjustments to the core temperature to keep it constant. When a person is too hot tiny capillary blood vessels are opened up which increases the flow of blood through the skin. This takes away any excess heat as does also any additional sweating. When a person is too cold the blood vessels are closed hence keeping heat within the internal organs.

Now the thing with children is that the part of the brain that takes care of and controls body temperature is not actually fully developed. The result of this is that children can experience temperature rises and falls very quickly and that children are also very sensitive to the temperature surroundings. A normal temperature for you child should be 36-36.8 degrees C or 97.7-99.1 degrees F.

TAKING A CHILD’S TEMPERATURE

Ear thermometers is a quick method of taking a temperature and will give you a reading in seconds. They rely upon measuring infrared radiation from the eardrum. Before using read the instruction manual properly and use the thermometer correctly to get a reliable reading. The ear canal has a natural curve so make sure that you point the ear thermometer towards the eardrum. You may even have to pull up the child’s ear to assist with this. And finally take into consideration where your child has been. If they have just come into the home from being outside in the cold or have been lying in bed on a warm pillow these will both affect the temperature of the ear. So wait about 15 minutes for the ear to set itself back to the core body temperature. You can then take a temperature reading.

Pros and Cons of ear thermometers

So to conclude we shall surmise and give you a brief passage on the pros and cons of ear thermometers. The pros of the ear thermometers are the convenience they offer the user by being so simple to work them. They ideally suited for taking temperatures in babies and young children. You can even use them on children and babies whilst they are asleep. Such is the design of some of the thermometers out there on the market place that babies may not even feel the thermometer when it is used because the thermometer comes to the body temperature on touch. Ear thermometers are also instantaneous with their readings, so there is no more waiting involved. Taking a temperature from a human body through the ear is ideal as the ear canal has a recess that is located deep within the body and closer to the brain than any other body orifice. And finally such is the speed of research and development that these ear thermometers are always being improved upon with new features being added all of the time to make them better functioning pieces of medical equipment.

The pros far out weigh the cons of ear thermometers but we shall still inform you of slight problems people do have with the ear thermometer. When trying to use them some people find it difficult to place the thermometer correctly in the ear. If you do not place it correctly you will not get a correct reading. But to assist with this problem there are now ear thermometers that will beep once it is in the correct position. Even today some people still question the accuracy of the thermometer believing they have an error range of 0.5 degrees. Ear thermometers cannot be used with babies less than a year old. At this age the ear canal of the baby is very delicate and inserting an ear thermometer could cause serious injury. And then there’s the cost of ear thermometers. They cost more than old style thermometers but when you consider the convenience of using them and the fact they will last for years and years the cost aspect is brought into perspective and not really a problem at all.

Of course it is up to you whether to have one of these ear thermometers as part of your home first aid kit. But you at least have to take a look at them because they are out there. Many parents find them very good and useful and doctors are using them all of the time. For taking temperatures the step forward is definitely using ear thermometers.