Correlation of NP and LO temperatures in ventilated children
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Correlation of nasopharyngeal and lower oesophageal temperatures in children ventilated with an endotracheal tube with leak
IRAS ID
151468
Contact name
Emily Haberman
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust
Research summary
Children lose heat under general anaesthesia. Core temperature is routinely monitored during anaesthesia for all but the shortest cases, so that active warming can be used to prevent hypothermia and its resulting complications. Core temperature can be measured at several sites dependent on the type of surgery and patient factors: Historically a temperature probe would be sited in the distal third of the oesophagus (swallowing tube); Now it is more common to use a temperature probe placed in the nasopharynx (where the nose and throat meet), when the child is anaesthetised.
This prospective, unblinded, cross-sectional (observational) agreement study will seek to find an agreement of 2 methods to measure temperature in children undergoing general anaesthesia with a breathing tube that has a leak (without a balloon). Children commonly have a breathing tube without a balloon inserted while they are anaesthetised, which serves to keep their airway open and deliver oxygen and anaesthetic gas.
It is known that temperature in the distal third of the oesophagus correlates well with the gold standard of core temperature measurement: The temperature of blood in the heart. It is not known if oesophageal and nasopharyngeal temperatures correlate in children on a breathing machine via a tube with leak (without a balloon) and would allow clinicians to confidently use the more feasible nasopharyngeal temperature probes if this were the case. For this study 100 children will have both nasopharyngeal and oesophageal temperatures measured during general anaesthesia.
REC name
London - Dulwich Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/LO/0575
Date of REC Opinion
4 Jun 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion