TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
Body Temperature: It is the hotness or coldness of the body.
Heat produced – Heat lost = Body temperature
Types: There are two kinds of temperature..
1. Core Temperature
2. Surface Temperature
Insta ; husain.z.kmu
Temperature
Purposes:
To obtain a base line data for subsequent evaluation
To determine changes in body temperature in response to
specific therapies
To monitor patient at risk for elevated temperature
Equipment:
Thermometer
TEMPERATURE
Core Temperature: is the temperature of the deep tissues of
the body. It remains constant and varies very little as + 1 F
except when a person has a fever. We measure it with a
thermometer.
Surface Temperature: by contrast the temperature of the
surface or skin, fluctuate (rises or fall) in response to the
environment.
Normal body temperature: is not an exact point on a scale
but a range of temperatures. When measured orally for an
adult, on an average it is between 36-38 C (96.8 – 100 F).
Insta ; husain.z.kmu
Normal range of body temperature (Adults)
Insta ; husain.z.kmu
ALTERATION IN BODY TEMPERATURE
Insta ; husain.z.kmu
ALTERATION IN BODY TEMPERATURE
The normal range for adults is considered to be between
36°C and 37.5°C (96.8°F to 99.5°F).
There are two primary alterations in body temperature:
1. Pyrexia or Hyperthermia
2. Hypothermia.
1. Pyrexia
A body temperature above the usual range is called pyrexia,
hyperthermia, or (in lay terms) fever. A very high fever, such
as 41°C (105.8°F), is called hyperpyrexia.
Insta ; husain.z.kmu
Pyrexia
1. Low Pyrexia: The fever does not rise more than 99 to
100 F
2. Moderate Pyrexia: Body temperature remain between
100-103 degree F
3. High Pyrexia: Body temperature remain between 103-
105 degree F
4. Hyperpyrexia: Temperature above 105 degree F
Insta ; husain.z.kmu
Insta ; husain.z.kmu
Hypothermia
Hypothermia is a core body temperature below the lower
limit of normal i.e. 95 F or 35 C. The three physiological
mechanisms of hypothermia are
(a) Excessive heat loss,
(b) Inadequate heat production to counteract heat loss,
(c) Impaired hypothalamic thermoregulation
If skin and underlying tissues are damaged by freezing cold,
this results in frostbite. Frostbite most commonly occurs in
hands, feet, nose, and ears in which ice crystal forms inside
the cell and damage it.
Insta ; husain.z.kmu
Sites to Measure Temperature
Oral
Rectal
Axillary
Tympanic membrane
Temporal artery
Insta ; husain.z.kmu
Types Of Thermometer
Insta ; husain.z.kmu
Thermometer
Insta ; husain.z.kmu
Thermometer
Two parts of thermometer-bulb and stem
• Blub is fragile part, containing mercury, sensitive to
temperature.
• Stem is hollow tube in which mercury can rise.
There are two scales, Fahrenheit and Celsius
Mercury, a liquid metal, with silvery appearance is used in
thermometers, because it is very sensitive to a small changes
in temperature, expansion of mercury is uniform, easily
visible.
Insta ; husain.z.kmu
Temperature: Safety Precautions
• Hold rectal and axillary thermometers in place
• Stay with resident when taking temperature
• Prior to use, shake liquid in glass down
• Shake thermometer away from resident and hard objects
• Wipe from end to tip of thermometer prior to reading
• Delay taking oral temperature for 10 - 15 minutes if
resident has been smoking, eating or drinking hot/cold
liquids.
Insta ; husain.z.kmu
Conti…
• Oral – most common, most convenient
• Rectal – registers one degree Fahrenheit higher than oral,
most accurate
• Axillary – least accurate; registers one degree Fahrenheit
lower than oral
• Tympanic – probe inserted into the ear canal
Insta ; husain.z.kmu
