A Study of Reliability of Tympanic Temperature Measurement Using Infrared Thermometer ( Home Model ) in Neonates

PURPOSE: Taking an accurate and rapid body temperature can give a valuable information when taking care of neonates. The purpose of this study is to compare the reliability of taking rapid and less complicated means of measuring body temperature at tympanic membrane by infrared tympanic thermometer(Thermoscan IRT 1020, type 60005711, home model) with the standard method of taking body temperature at axilla and rectum by mercury thermometer. METHODS: Simultaneous rneasurements of tympanic membrane and axillary temperatures were taken followed by rectal temperatures within 5 minutes by 2 different investigators from 107 term infants One investigator measured tympanic membrane temperature by infrared tyrnpanic thermometer for 3 times and took the highest temperature as a final measurement and the other investigator took the axillary temperature for at least 5 minutes and rectal temperature for at least 2 minutes on each patient. RESULTS: Total of 107 term infants including 57 males and 50 females were subjects, The average body temperatures were 36.7+/-0.3degree, 37.0+/-0.4degree, 36.6+/-0.3degree for axillary, reactal and tympanic membrane, respectively. The correlation coefficients between axillary, rectal and tympanic temperature measurements were high at r=0.746- 0.804 and were statistically significant at P<0.001. CONCLUSION: We have shown from this study that taking tympanic membrane temperature can be used as an altemative and reliable means of taking body temperature in place of taking axillary and rectal temperature in neonates.

Conservative surgery and definitive radiotherapy in early breastr cancer / 영남의대학술지

Local excision and axillary dissection followed by radiation therapy to the breast has been shown to achieve equivalent local control and survival as mastectomy in an prospective randomized trials. We analyzed 28 cases of early breast cancer in order to evaluate the therapeutic effects of conservative f surgery and definitive radiotherapy in the management of early breast cancer as possible alternative of simple mastectomy, retrospectively. Obtained results were as follows 1. Treatment related acute side reactions are more prominant in the case of chemoradiotherapy group than radiotherapy alone group. 2. There were no cases of primary, regional or systemic failures on the last follow up examination. 3. Cosmetic results after treatment were satisfactory in 26 cases out of 28 cases on the last follow up examination. 4. There were no demonstrable differences of tumor control and cosmetic results between the treatment groups. Although, these results suggested that definitive radiotherapy after local excision would be a possible and desirable alternative instead of total mastectomy in the management of early breast cancers, analyzed cases were too small and follow up period was too short to evaluate the therapeutic effect of primary radiotherapy after local excision, exactly.