Vol. 85, Issue 3, 921-926, September 1998
Continuous measurement of tympanic temperature with a new
infrared method using an optical fiber
Manabu
Shibasaki1,
Narihiko
Kondo1,
Hirotaka
Tominaga1,
Ken
Aoki1,
Eiichi
Hasegawa2,
Yoshiyuki
Idota3, and
Toshimichi
Moriwaki3
1 Laboratory for Applied Human
Physiology, Faculty of Human Development, Kobe University, Kobe
657-8501; 2 Production Engineering
Laboratory, Shimadzu Company, Atsugi 243-0213; and
3 Faculty of Engineering, Kobe
University, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
The purpose of
this study was to investigate the utility of an infrared tympanic
thermometry by using an optical fiber for measuring tympanic
temperature (Tty). In the head
cooling and facial fanning tests during normothermia, right
Tty measured by this method
(infrared-Tty) and esophageal
temperature (Tes) were not
affected by decreased temple and forehead skin temperatures, suggesting
that the infrared sensor in this system measured the infrared radiation
from the tympanic membrane selectively. Eight male subjects took part
in passive-heat-stress and progressive-exercise tests. No significant
differences among infrared-Tty,
the left Tty measured by
thermistor (contact-Tty), and
Tes were observed at rest or at
the end of each experiment, and there was no significant difference in
the increase in these core temperatures from rest to the
end. Furthermore, there were no significant differences in
the core temperature threshold at the onset of sweating and slope (the
relationship of sweating rate vs.
infrared-Tty and vs.
contact-Tty). These
results suggest that this method makes it possible to measure
Tty accurately, continuously, and
more safely.
infrared sensor; device; core temperature; thermoregulation; humans
