(Click the link to comment and to vote – voting not working through email, sorry!)Note: controversies are not meant to have a “right” answer – they are to see how most people are practicing. Would love your comments also regarding your thought processes and the evidence behind your decisions. We can learn from each other!
You are seeing a 30 day old full term infant whose parents thought the baby felt warm, checked the temperature with an infrared mid-forehead thermometer, and it read 100.4. They did not give any antipyretics and came straight to the ED. The rectal temperature in the ED is 99. Mother received prenatal care, there were no complications, and she was GBS negative. There are no ill contacts and the baby is well-appearing and feeding normally.
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October 31, 2021 at 10:28 pm
Infrared forehead thermometry has not correlated well with axillary or rectal temperatures in neonates and young children in several studies: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25118720/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23999676/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20211398/ The recent AAP Clinical Guidelines for febrile infants age 8-60 days only included those with a measured rectal temperature 100.4 or higher.