A pre-hospital team is using a tympanic thermometer on a hypothermic patient. The reading is 33.5°C. What is an important limitation of tympanic therm...

Question

A pre-hospital team is using a tympanic thermometer on a hypothermic patient. The reading is 33.5°C. What is an important limitation of tympanic thermometry in this context?

Accepted Answer

Tympanic thermometers may be inaccurate in hypothermia - they can overestimate core temperature; oesophageal or rectal temperature is more reliable for true core measurement

Answer

Tympanic thermometers cannot read below 34°C

Answer

Tympanic temperature is always accurate regardless of environmental conditions

Answer

Ear wax makes tympanic readings completely invalid

Answer

Tympanic temperature is always lower than core temperature

uk-dipimc MCQ (SBA): Tympanic Thermometry Limitations

A pre-hospital team is using a tympanic thermometer on a hypothermic patient. The reading is 33.5°C. What is an important limitation of tympanic thermometry in this context?