Instructions for using a mercury thermometer. How to use an electronic thermometer features b well. Measuring body temperature with a thermometer

INDICATIONS OF THE DRUG.

Temperature thermometers are precision instruments. Measurement results are accurate when the instrument is used correctly in accordance with this manual.

MODE OF APPLICATION.

Temperature thermometers are precision instruments. Measurement results are accurate when the instrument is used correctly in accordance with this manual. Take the thermometer by the upper end and lower it with the reservoir down. Shake the thermometer with your hand so that the meniscus of the mercury column is below the digital mark of 35.5 ° C on the scale. Place the thermometer with a reservoir in the center of the armpit / groin of a person and press it with your hand / foot to fix the thermometer. Avoid strong pressure on the thermometer. In debilitated patients, when measuring temperature, it is necessary to hold the hand. Hold the thermometer for about 5 minutes. Remove the thermometer from the armpit / groin and read the temperature on the scale. The temperature measurement method is suitable for infants and young children. When measuring temperature in children, it is recommended to fix the thermometer in the armpit / groin, holding the child's hand by the forearm or leg by the thigh. This procedure must be performed for every temperature measurement. After taking a bath or shower, you should postpone the temperature measurement for 30 minutes. In the event of an unexpected increase or decrease in temperature, it is recommended to repeat the measurement several times at short intervals. It is recommended to measure the temperature 2 times a day: at 7-8 o'clock in the morning and 17-19 o'clock in the evening. Write down the time and results of the measurement so that you can show them to the doctor if necessary. After use, the thermometer must be disinfected: at home - wash with warm water and soap.

Special instructions: ATTENTION!

The thermometer contains mercury! Mercury outside the thermometer is dangerous! A break in the mercury column in the capillary tube above the mercury reservoir is not a defect, but is typical of thermometers with a maximum device. Handle the thermometer very carefully: do not drop, do not overheat. Broken thermometers are special waste and must be disposed of in accordance with certain rules and regulations. In case the thermometer breaks, try to be in this room as little as possible. In case of direct contact with mercury or if inhalation of its vapors is suspected, it is recommended to consult a doctor. Collect fragments of the thermometer only with protective gloves. A broken thermometer and its fragments should be temporarily stored in a closed vessel with water, and then handed over to an organization that collects and disposes of such waste. The collection of mercury must necessarily be carried out by the relevant environmental authority in accordance with the regulations in force.

A mercury thermometer is a thin capillary tube, sealed on both sides, from which air is pumped out. At the lower end of this tube is a reservoir filled with mercury. On the planochka to which the tube is attached, a scale with divisions from 34 to 42 degrees Celsius is applied. Each degree is subdivided into 10 smaller divisions of 0.1 0 C

Medical thermometer maximum differs from a conventional mercury thermometer in that the lumen at the junction of the capillary tube into the mercury reservoir is narrowed and curved, which makes it difficult for the movement of mercury in this knee. Therefore, when heated, mercury slower reaches its maximum level, but after the heating stops, the mercury column does not fall by itself, but continues to show the maximum figure on the temperature scale to which it has reached. Therefore, such a thermometer is called the maximum. In order for the mercury column to fall back into the tank, the mercury thermometer must be shaken.

The mercury thermometer remains the most common instrument for measuring body temperature.

Advantages of a mercury thermometer:

• The mercury thermometer in its performance is closest to the gas thermometer, which is recognized as a reference thermometer. Therefore, it is believed that a mercury thermometer measures body temperature more accurately than other thermometers.
• Available at a price to almost any buyer (usually the price of a mercury thermometer does not exceed 25-50 rubles).
• Allows disinfection with full immersion in a disinfectant solution, therefore they are suitable for medical institutions.

Disadvantages of a mercury thermometer:

• Long measurement time - at least 10 minutes.
• The main drawback, which easily crosses out all the advantages, is that it contains mercury dangerous to health (about 2 grams) and at the same time it breaks easily.

It is for this reason that a mercury thermometer for measuring body temperature is prohibited in some countries. The ban also applies to room thermometers, barometers and blood pressure monitors. This measure can significantly reduce the amount of toxic mercury that enters the environment with garbage.

Why is a broken thermometer dangerous?

Mercury is a liquid with a silvery-metallic luster, which begins to evaporate at a temperature of +18°C and above. If the thermometer breaks, then the mercury breaks into small drops upon impact and disperses throughout the room, easily penetrating into the cracks of the floors, into the cracks under the baseboards, getting stuck in the pile of carpets. Gradually evaporating, it poisons the air in the room. Long-term intake of small amounts of mercury leads to chronic mercury intoxication, which can manifest itself as dermatitis, stomatitis, salivation, metallic taste in the mouth, diarrhea, anemia, headaches, tremors of the extremities, and kidney damage.

In the diagnosis of mercury poisoning, laboratory data are of particular importance. Urinary excretion of more than 0.3 mg/l of mercury indicates the possibility of mercury intoxication.

What to do if a mercury thermometer breaks? - about measures aimed at the decontamination of mercury (demercurization).

Rules for using a mercury thermometer

Before each measurement, inspect the mercury thermometer to make sure that the mercury column is below 35 0 C. If it is higher, then shake it off.

Shaking off produced as follows: grabbing the upper part of the thermometer in a fist so that the head rests on the palm, the mercury tank looks down, and the middle of the thermometer is between the thumb and forefinger sudden stop.

After use, the mercury thermometer is disinfected. Never wash a mercury thermometer with hot water.

An infrared thermometer is a modern device that will determine body temperature in just a few seconds without even touching it. Quite recently, non-contact thermometers appeared in Medtekhnika Ortosalon stores and immediately became popular. After some time, buyers began to complain about the inaccuracy of measurements.

“We bought an infrared thermometer in order to take the temperature of a small child. My husband thought he was showing wrong. Therefore, they began to check with mercury. It turned out, indeed, that infrared overestimates the readings ”
- Oksana, buyer of Medtekhnika Ortosalon store

It is worth noting that most people use this device incorrectly, which is the main reason for inaccurate readings. In this article we will tell you how to measure the temperature correctly. .

Content:

Non-contact thermometer error

Manufacturers in the instructions indicate the permissible error of thermometers:

mercury — 0.1°C

electronic — 0.1-0.2°C

infrared — 0.3°C

Users note that the error of the infrared thermometer sometimes reaches 0.5 ° C. That's already significant, isn't it? Experts say that the body temperature of a sick person can change by +/- 1°C within minutes. Mercury models take into account these fluctuations and show the maximum value. Infrared determine the temperature in 1-3 seconds, at a particular moment. That is why checking infrared readings with mercury is not recommended.

Why does an infrared thermometer lie?

Even assuming that you measure the temperature correctly with a non-contact thermometer, there are several more reasons for its “lie”:

cleanliness of the sensor (it should be free of dust, scratches and streaks);

the air conditioner or heater is on in the room;

wet forehead in a patient;

the presence of cosmetics or creams in the measurement area;

dead batteries (batteries).

If you have been using an infrared thermometer for several months, and it suddenly starts to show incorrectly, we recommend that you take it to the manufacturer's service center for verification. So you will definitely be sure of the quality of the data.

How to use an infrared thermometer

In order for a non-contact thermometer to show the correct result, follow some rules for its use:

Eliminate extraneous air flows - air conditioning, fan, heater.

Make sure that the patient has a clean forehead, free of cosmetics and creams.

If the person is sweaty, wipe the forehead with a tissue.

Wipe the infrared sensor with a soft cloth to remove dust particles.

Ask the patient to sit up straight and not move or talk during the measurement.

Brief instructions on how to correctly measure the temperature with an infrared thermometer:

Turn on the device.

So, yesterday we started a discussion about the dangers of mercury and the problem of a broken mercury thermometer. The most important question remained with us - what to do if the thermometer crashed, what should be the algorithm of actions in this case? Where should I go with a similar problem and where should I put the remnants of a broken device? We understand step by step.

Where to begin?

In general, according to the rules of all textbooks on emergencies, if residential or public premises are contaminated with hazardous substances of the first hazard class, an immediate appeal to the Ministry of Emergency Situations is necessary, which should eliminate the consequences of the accident. But many people already know from practice that sometimes it is simply not possible to get through to the Ministry of Emergency Situations or special institutions for the disposal of hazardous waste, and they will not be in a hurry to urgently go to you to collect mercury from thermometers. Therefore, if you panic, you can call the "01" service and consult on how to properly clean mercury in your apartment. Specialists will definitely give you a lot of practical advice and instructions, in addition, most likely you will be given the address of the enterprise where you will need to hand over hazardous waste for disposal - collected mercury and the remains of a thermometer.

Special situations

It is not worth thinking about how to collect mercury on your own in cases where there are special conditions - then you need to call the Ministry of Emergencies. Mercury instantly boils and evaporates at a temperature of +40 degrees Celsius, and if it gets on a heating radiator or heater. It will evaporate almost instantly, polluting the entire air of the room. Also, do not independently collect mercury in children's institutions, closed and very poorly ventilated, while very warm rooms, especially in summer or during the heating season. It is also forbidden to clean up mercury for people from groups at particular risk for mercury poisoning.

This group of people includes:

Pregnant women at any stage of pregnancy, as mercury easily crosses the placenta and can harm the fetus;
- children and adolescents under the age of 18, as mercury can adversely affect the processes of growth and development;
- elderly people over 65 due to slow metabolism and extremely slow excretion of mercury from the body;
- patients with lesions of the liver and kidneys, diseases of the central nervous system, weakened and often and long-term ill.

All these people, subject to mercury contamination of the air, must be immediately removed from the premises, and disinfection of all surfaces and indoor air (demercurization) should be started.

How to collect a broken thermometer

Of course, we said that mercury is a dangerous substance, and often breaking a thermometer in their own home, many are afraid of instant poisoning and make too many unnecessary movements. Collecting mercury balls from a broken thermometer is difficult, especially if your hands are shaking with fear. But, the other extreme is also very common, people do not at all attach importance to the fact that they broke the thermometer, casually sweep the mercury into a scoop with a broom and throw it into the trash can, which remains in the apartment for several more days.

With this phenomenon, numerous mercury balls remain in the dwelling for a long time, and poison the air in the room with their gradually evaporating vapors. And then they wonder - why did we start to get sick so often, why does the child's stomach get upset, he vomits, is he lethargic or excited, and does his head just split from pain? Maybe the weather has an effect! And mercury itself all evaporates and evaporates from the corners, destroying the kidneys and liver. Therefore, if you dropped a mercury thermometer and it crashed, you should not panic, but you should not ignore the rules for collecting mercury and demercurizing the premises. It is worth acting according to the accepted algorithm for cleaning mercury from an apartment or house.

So what should we do?

Carefully inspect the fallen thermometer without lifting it from the floor. Maybe there is a crack in it and the scale has shaken - this is the most prosperous option. If there are suspicions that it is completely broken, do not lift it from the floor, especially with bare hands, without prior preparation. Take any sealed glass vessel - preferably a jar with a lid, and carefully, so as not to let the mercury leak out, place the cracked thermometer in the jar. For greater safety, you can pre-fill the jar with ice water. Do not throw this jar with a thermometer as ordinary garbage in a trash can or garbage chute. Contact the Ministry of Emergency Situations or type in a search engine - we have two recycling enterprises in our city, I think they also exist in your city, I found a portal on the Internet - kudagradusnik.ru, it contains the addresses of recycling enterprises by city.

If the thermometer fell, crashed, and mercury leaked out of it, it will be necessary to carefully collect and clean it in the room. Where to start? First of all, immediately remove all occupants from the room where the accident occurred, including pets and birds. Firstly, no one will breathe mercury vapor, and secondly, they will not spread mercury throughout the house on their feet and paws. Close the door tightly, if there are gaps under the doors, tuck them in with a wet cloth soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate, open the windows or turn on the split system at full power to create at least 16-17 degrees in the room and below. At this temperature, mercury rolls into balls and does not evaporate.

To protect your respiratory organs and inhale less mercury, put on a gauze or medical mask, placing several layers of damp gauze moistened with a manganese or soda solution under it. Experts advise working in synthetic clothing, as it is less breathable and prevents mercury vapor from actively circulating to the body. If mercury gets on clothes, it will have to be thrown away, since it will be impossible to clean it off, therefore, wear old, unusable clothes. Before collecting mercury, put on thick rubber gloves and shoe covers or bags on your feet, protect your skin and shoes. All things that were in contact with mercury are then tied up after the end of the collection in a tight bag, and handed over together with a thermometer and mercury.

We collect mercury from the floor

Fill a jar with cold water and place it next to you, mercury sinks in water and slows down evaporation. Take two sheets of paper, a brush and a cotton swab, adhesive tape or a band-aid, a flashlight or a lamp, a medical pear or a syringe with a thick needle, a knitting needle. Balls of mercury drive with two sheets into a large ball, and move to a jar, you can drive them with a soft brush or cotton wool. Stick small balls on pieces of adhesive tape or plaster and throw them into a jar, use a flashlight or lamp to illuminate the floors from the side, the mercury balls will be reflected in transmitted light and you can collect them all. Especially carefully inspect the cracks of the floor and baseboard, if mercury has rolled under the baseboard, you need to lift it up and carefully collect everything. It is convenient to collect mercury from the slots with a pear or syringe, sucking them in with a knitting needle, since mercury sticks to metals.

If the collection is not fast, every 10-15 minutes go out into the air to breathe and drink plenty of fluids, and in a hot room above + 25-30 degrees, the simultaneous stay in the room is a maximum of 7-10 minutes. When leaving the infected room, we remove the bags or shoe covers from our feet and throw them into a bag for disposal. After carefully collecting all the mercury balls, we tightly close the jar and take it out into the cold, into a non-residential premises (balcony, garage, outside in a place inaccessible to children and other persons). We wash the floors with a strong solution of potassium permanganate or whiteness, a solution of soda several times. Rag - in a bag for recycling. Carefully spray the cracks in the floor from the spray gun with this solution and leave for at least a day to neutralize the smallest particles of mercury that are invisible to the eye.

When spilling mercury from a thermometer, it is strictly forbidden to carry out certain actions:

Airing the premises with a draft, then the balls of mercury will roll throughout the house, and the toxic fumes will spread throughout all the rooms;
- you can not sweep mercury with a broom - the balls will be crushed into fine dust, stick to the rods and raise mercury into the air, infecting everything in the sweeping path;
- you can not use a vacuum cleaner, as you will translate due to heat and spray mercury into an aerosol and poison yourself. The vacuum cleaner after that will be hopelessly poisoned with mercury, it can only be disposed of;
- wash things that got mercury in the washing machine, these things are only for recycling;
- drain mercury balls sewers and pipes. Mercury will stick to pipes and poison the atmosphere for you and your neighbors for a long time;
- you can not throw mercury and a thermometer into the garbage chute, burn it, bury it.

If mercury gets on fabrics, furniture or wooden surfaces? Wood can be treated with the solutions described above, but carpets, fabrics and toys should be thrown away. If this cannot be done in any way, they must be taken out in the sun for at least a month, the mercury will gradually evaporate and disappear, but no one knows how completely. It is impossible to wash, soak with solutions and process them - whiteness, potassium permanganate will ruin things, therefore, the choice here is small. In any case, mercury can stay on carpets and fabrics for a long time - these things will be dangerous.

Allows you to take temperature measurements without the discomfort that contact samples cause. Also, this measurement option allows you to quickly and safely obtain data on the temperature of the human body, unlike mercury analogues.

In addition, such a thermometer can measure the temperature of air, water and any surface.

Specifications:

• Measuring range (in body mode): 32.0°C - 42.5°C / 89.6°F - 108.5°F;
• Measuring range (surface mode): 0°C - 60°C/32°F - 140°F;
• Minimum measuring step: 0.1°C/0.1°F;
• Accuracy: 32 - 35.9°C, 93.2 - 96.6° F (±0.3°C/±0.5°F);
• ASTM: 36 - 39°C/96.8 - 96.6 - 102.2°F (±0.2°C/±0.4°F);
• E1965-1998 (2003): 39 - 42.5°C/102.2 - 108.5°F (±0.3°C/±0.5°F);
• Optimal distance for measurements: 5-15 cm;
• Measurement time: 0.5 seconds;
• Dimensions: 14.6 cm * 8.8 cm * 4.3 cm;
• Weight: 150g;
• Color: white with blue;
• Screen backlight color: blue;
• Memory: last 32 measurements are saved.

Measurement procedure:

1. Unpack the instrument;
2. Take the thermometer in your hand by the handle and point it at the surface to be measured;
3. Press and hold the MEASUREMENT button. Temperature measurement will start automatically. If the screen does not display values, replace the battery;
4. Release the MEASUREMENT button. The Hold indicator will automatically appear on the screen, indicating that the measurement has been taken and can be viewed on the monitor. In this case, by pressing the UP or DOWN buttons, you can turn the laser on or off;
5. The thermometer will turn off automatically after 7 seconds of inactivity.

Purpose of controls:

The UP or DOWN buttons during measurement adjust the emissivity.

During the fixed reading period, the UP and DOWN buttons turn the laser on or off.

The BACKLIGHT button turns the screen backlight on or off. To adjust the HAL, LAL or EMS black ratio, press the MODE button. Then use the UP or DOWN buttons to select the desired mode.

Modes:

HAL mode - sound signal when the upper temperature threshold is exceeded. The upper threshold is immediately adjusted using the UP and DOWN buttons.

LAL mode - sound signal when the temperature is below the minimum threshold. The lower threshold is immediately adjusted using the UP and DOWN buttons.

EMS Black Ratio Adjustment:

The thermometer provides for setting the blackness factor from 0.10 to 1.0.

To continuously measure temperature, you must turn on the LOCK mode. To do this, press the UP or DOWN button to turn the LOCK mode on or off. The device will continuously measure the temperature until the MEASUREMENT button is released.

In LOCK mode, use the UP and DOWN buttons to adjust the blackness ratio.