Monitoring Urinary Bladder Temperature

Body temperature of patients in critical care units can be monitored with a variety of devices and at a variety of body sites. In recent years, monitoring of urinary bladder temperature has become more common. Temperature-sensing indwelling urinary catheters allow continuous drainage of urine and continuous measurement of body temperature. This article provides a comprehensive and critical review of research undertaken in intensive care units to compare body temperatures measured in the urinary bladder with temperatures measured at a core site, the pulmonary artery. The studies support the use of urinary bladder temperature as a reliable index of core temperature during times of thermal stability. For critically ill patients who are already under considerable stress and whose condition necessitates the use of an indwelling urinary catheter, bladder temperature monitoring is an easy and convenient method that eliminates the need to use alternative sites. Further studies on the effects of shivering and urinary flow rate on temperatures measured in the bladder in critical care patients are needed. The economics of monitoring urinary bladder temperature also should be studied. A ssessment of body temperature is essential in the clinical setting to ascertain baseline measures and to assess patients' response to, or the effectiveness of, treatments. Measurement of this vital sign is particularly important in critical care patients, whose thermostability may be challenged during recovery from surgery or as a result of inflammation , infection, or sepsis. Thermal instability, in turn, can induce hemodynamic or respiratory crises. Although body temperature can be measured by using a variety of sites and devices, continuous measurement of core temperature, particularly on a long-term basis, has been problematic. Indwelling thermistor-tipped catheters or probes, such as those flow directed into the pulmonary artery, have been used mainly in intensive care units (ICUs), but only for selected patients who require hemodynamic monitoring. Esophageal probes have been used mainly in the operating room, but esophageal temperature is rarely monitored in critical care areas, and placement of the probe varies. Last, rectal probes have been used, mostly in the emergency department, for continuous monitoring of hypother-mic or hyperthermic patients. The urinary bladder has become a more common and more widespread site for continuous monitoring of body temperature, particularly for patients who also require an indwell-ing catheter for urine drainage. CE Notice to CE enrollees: A closed-book, multiple-choice examination following this article tests your understanding of the following objectives: • Describe how …