Exergen TAT-5000 Thermometer User Manual


 
Frequently Asked Questions
False low readings:
Multiple readings can cool the skin, so if you take another
measurement immediately, expect a slightly lower reading.
Slide the thermometer straight across the forehead, not
down the side of the face where the TA could be embedded
under cartilage or fat.
Keep the probe flush on the skin, as in the picture on the
right. If angled, you will be measuring ambient air as well
as the TA area
.
Memorable solutions?
Measure only the side exposed to the environment. The TemporalScanner assumes
the skin it measures has equilibrated to ambient, so a down or covered side could be
falsely high as heat is trapped and the skin is unable to equilibrate.
If the up side is not the side closest to you, try scanning from the hairline towards
the center of the forehead.
Scan slowly across the TA area; if you scan too quickly you can miss the peak.
Conditions that could affect a reading
Bandages or pressure dressings covering the
forehead.
Forehead abrasions, burns, sweat.
Agitated or combative patient.
• Patient’s forehead in direct draft from vent
or fan.
...and their solutions
If accessible and dry, measure on the
area behind the ear lobe only.
Consider using the alternate sites:
femoral artery, lateral thoracic, or
axillary areas.
Thermometer in different ambient temperature
than patient: i.e. window ledge directly
exposed to hot sun or cold weather, or in direct
line of air conditioning or fan.
The TemporalScanner should be kept
in the same ambient temperature as
your patient. Each 10° difference in
ambient can cause a 1° error in the
reading.
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