THERMO-SCAN 

If you have visited a hospital recently you may have seen another medical innovation. The Thermoscan. It is a infrared tympanic (ear) thermometer designed, at the moment, for the healthcare market. It measures the infrared heat generated by the human eardrum and surrounding tissue and displays this temperature in less than two seconds on a built-in window. It is more accurate, more hygenic and far more efficient, according to the manufacturer, than previous measuring devices. It is also faster, smaller and easier to use.

The Thermoscan unit has been clinically proven to accurately correlate to accepted medical standards and it improves patient care by eliminating mucous membrane contact, thus reducing potential cross-contamination between patients. Although conventional oral thermometers were sterilized there was always a chance that one would slip through the process or that heat conditions for sterilization dropped below standards.

The Thermoscan disposable probe cover prevents contamination passing from one patient to another as the disposable probe is ejected without being touched by patient, nurse or doctor. A new probe, affixed to the Thermoscan unit from a plastic bag, is then ready for the next patient.

Since the mid-1980s, infrared tympanic thermometry has held great promise to revolutionize the way the medical profession measures body temperatures. However, increasing pressure to maintain costs have limited wide acceptance of such medical innovations. The patented Thermoscan Pro-1 Instant Thermometer appears to make such thermometers now affordable for the first time.

The operation of this new unit is based on the detection of thermal or infrared radiation. Any material object emits electromagnetic waves from its surface. That includes people and everything around us. A cooler object sends it out at a lower frequency and carries less energy. Hotter objects contain shorter distances between their wave ripples but they carry more energy. Thus, the power of this electromagnetic radiation tells the temperature of the object from whence it emanates.

Many objects, like an electric stove element, can become so hot they produce a visible glow. Everything "glows". But the human eye can only see the "visible" portion of the spectrum. It may be that when your dog or cat looks at you so intensely at times, it may be seeing your unseen (to you) "halo". Thermoscan "sees" your infrared (beyond red) heat wave and converts it into a number that means something.

The big difference with this thermometer is that it uses an infrared dynamic sensor/shutter combination to produce a strong signal at lower cost. Scientific research world-wide has confirmed that the ear temperature is a reliable representation of true body core temperature. After all taking the temperature of a fingertip might not give a true indication of an intestinally-generated fever or a glass-thermometer may not accurately represent the current condition if you have just been sipping ice cold water or hot tea.

Basically, the unit works like a camera that takes pictures of heat. A gold-plated wave-guide covered by a protective membrane is used instead of a lens, and an infrared pyroelectric sensor is used instead of photographic film, but the shutter works much like that of a camera. Since infrared moves at the speed of light, it's fast. It can also be used with unconscious patients or those whose temperatures are difficult or impossible to obtain with conventional contact thermometers.

Current prices, for physicians, run between US $299 to $385 based on options selected. A similar, less expensive home unit is expected to be on the consumer market this fall.

The inventor of the unit, Jacob Fraden, Ph.D., a world authority in infrared temperature measurement, a native of the Soviet Union, is now Vice-President of Research for the Thermoscan Corporation.

More information: Thermoscan Inc., 6295 Ferris Square, Suite "G", San Diego, CA 92121. Phone: 800/EAR-SCAN (327-7226).

* * *

< previous | chapter index | next >
back to Main Chapter Listing
back to Home Page