Why thermometers are kept under tongue or under arm for measuring temperature?why not any other place?

Answer 1

Well, they do rectal temperature also. These places are the accepted locations to determine body temperature. Medical procedures need to be uniform. Taking temperature in different places yields different results, so too many different methods would be confusing. The rule of thumb is that under the arm will be 1 degree less then oral, and rectal will be 1 degree higher than oral.

Answer 2

When you take someone's temperature, you want the most accurate reading you can obtain, and the reading that most closely reflects that person's actual core temperature.

Oral temperatures, with the thermometer probe under the tongue and as far back as possible, are very accurate (as long as the person has not been recently drinking or heavy mouth breathing). There is an artery that runs just under the tongue, bringing warm blood directly from the heart...this is what you want to measure.

Skin temperatures, such as the axillary (under the arm) and the little sticker thermometers are both very inaccurate and give you only a rough idea of the person's temperature. The surface of the person's body can easily be 1-2 degrees (or more) warmer or cooler than the person's core. The under arm temperature is preferred by parents because they often refuse to take a rectal temperature...they refuse to acknowledge that it is the most accurate and like not having to stick the probe in "that nasty place."

Rectal thermometers are highly accurate, safe, and easy to use. They provide the best reading in children, unresponsive/uncooperative patients, and in cases where the oral temperature is questionable.

For in hospital use, there are continous temperature probes, wires that can be placed in the throat or rectum, or that are attached to foley catheters for insertion into the bladder. These provide a constant measurement of the patient's core temperature.

Tympanic (in the ear) thermometers are the most expensive and most inaccurate thermometers that you can get your hands on. I have worked in 8 emergency departments in 5 states and not one had tympanic thermometers, and several had policies prohibiting their use. I remember reading a study done in an ICU several years ago. One group of nurses underwent several hours of training and practice on how to use a tympanic thermometer, while another group were just shown how to turn it on and where to stick it. Then both groups were asked to take the temperatures of several ICU patients whose core temperatures were already being monitored. Both groups were equally inaccurate. Tympanic thermometers are nothing but big expensive gimmicks.

Answer 3

Measuring Temperature Under Armpit

Answer 4

Under the arm, under the tongue is the most convenient place and is therefore, due to studies gives a very close reading. Timpanic (ears) theremometers are effective but, they have been also known to be wrong due to user error.
If you would like an accurate reading then rectal temps are the best.
The question is as a teenager/adult (eceptions for kids/infants/geriatrics) do you really think that you would be OK with the idea of an RN/MD telling you to bend over and you will be feeling a little pressure???

Answer 5

Instead of adhering to one "normal" temperature such as 37.0 °C [98.6 °F] as Wunderlich postulated in 1868, we should consider "ranges of normal", just as we do for height, weight and blood pressure. In many studies (Mackowiak PA E. 1997), it has been shown that even normal body temperature is subject to considerable fluctuations, dependent on the time of day, sex, age, and other things; hence, it varies from one individual to the next. So the individual baseline temperature must be taken into account when deciding if a person has fever or not.

While Wunderlich defined the upper normal limit at 38.0 °C [100.4 °F], very differing statements are to be found in the modern literature. However, in accordance with broad international agreement, the following measurement data can be taken as a guide. The following are recommended values for normal body temperature according to Chamberlain, 1994, 1995:

35.5 – 37.5 °C [95.9 – 99.5 °F], measured orally
36.6 – 38.0 °C [97.9 – 100.4 °F], measured rectally
34.7 – 37.3 °C [94.5 – 99.1 °F], axillary measurement
35.8 – 38.0 °C [96.4 – 100.4 °F], measured in the ear



Fever is present when the body temperature exceeds:

37.5 °C [99.5 °F], measured orally
38.0 °C [100.4 °F], measured rectally
37.3 °C [99.1 °F], axillary measurement
38.0 °C [100.4 °F], measured in the ear (external auditory canal)

Temperatures below these values are called subfebrile temperatures (Chamberlain JM et al. 1994, Chamberlain JM et al. 1995).

Problems of various measurements
It is claimed that changes in core body temperature are reflected sooner and more accurately in the ear than at other sites. Whilst the electronic display of the temperature value is easier to read than interpreting the graduation marks on a thermometer, there are some concerns for the accuracy of ear thermometers in home use[1].

Influencing factors on other areas where temperatures are taken:

Oral temperatures are influenced by drinking, eating and breathing.
Rectal temperatures lag behind changes in core body temperature and there is a risk of cross-contamination.
Skin temperatures, measured under the arm or at the forehead, are not always reliable indicators of core body temperature, especially during those critical times when core body temperature is increasing or decreasing. This is because the skin is a tool the body uses to control core body temperature. For example, when fever is increasing people are likely to react by shivering and drawing in heat from the increase core body temperature. Skin temperatures are further influenced by factors such as fever lowering medication, clothing and external temperature

Rectal Measurement:
The most reliable core temperature is obtained by inserting a thermometer into the rectum. This measurement is accurate and has low scattering in the results. The normal range is: 97.16 degrees Fahrenheit (32.6 degrees Celsius) to 99.86 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 degrees Celsius).

Oral Measurement:
Oral measurements should be performed under the tongue (sublingually). This measurement underestimates the rectal temperature by approximately 1 degree Fahrenheit (.5 degrees Celsius).

Under-arm (Axillar) Measurement:
The only types of body surface temperature measurement used in clinically settings are under-arm and groin measurements. There is a difference between these measurements and rectal measurements of 1 degree fahrenheit (.5 degrees Celsius).

Answer 6

A normal temperature is 99.8 F(rectally) (37.7 C), 97.8 F (axillary, arm pit) (36.6 C), or 98.6 (orally, under the tongue) (37 C). Ear thermometers which measure temperature on the ear drum (tympanic membrane) usually use a "rectal" scale for younger children (in which case the normal temperature is 99.8 F) and an "oral" scale for older children (in which case the normal temperature is 98.6 F).
From the above, it is seen that thermometer can be placed in the ear and rectum. Hence the question is wrong and is not liable to be answered.

Answer 7

This will be over everyone's head but here it goes: The kidneys in Chinese medicine reflect ming men fire. The divergent channel goes to the base of the tongue. When the kidneys are weak many things can happen, one of which can be a decrease in temperature. For example, if the kidney yang is weak, then this can affect the overall temperature of the body. Without going deeper, kidneys affect the temperature of the body. For me, my temperature has never been above 97.6 in a few years, maybe even longer I just haven't had it checked. Just from doing moxibustion over a few points representing Kidney Yang I was able to bring it up to 98.6 where it should be.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

Under your tongue there's a major blood vessel and that's the most accurate, under the arm is not as accurate but it's one of the few places you can hold still with toddlers. You can use rectal or axillary, but I wouldn't recommend it because the temps vary in degrees.

Answer 10

In medical, there are two types of temperature markings.

Temperature marking for Shell temperature (referring to the surface temperature) and Core temperature (the actual temperature close to the blood, it is in constant value)

Shell temperature are the temperature of the skin. Thus armpits/ axilla is choosen.
Core temperature are taken at the rectal, oral and external auditory meatus (the ear tube)