Are 'Hot' Ears Really Hot?

Sir.—Recordings from the tympanic membrane appear superior to those obtained from most other sites commonly used for measuring body temperature.¹⁻⁷Infrared determinations of temperature have been shown to be fast and accurate¹,²and have been used to monitor localized increases in temperature from a variety of causes and sites.¹We used a commercially available device that measures tympanic membrane temperature (FirstTEMP, Intelligent Medical Systems Inc, Carlsbad, Calif) to explore the effect of otitis media on that temperature. We assumed that patients with unilateral otitis media would display a difference in ear temperature measurements that reflected the magnitude of the local effect of the otitis, ie, that the normal ear would reflect the core temperature and the infected ear would reflect the local increase because of the infection. Patients and Methods.—Unilateral otitis media was defined as an acute illness with a normal ear opposite