View as Webpage

Critical Error in Bhavani Paper Puts Black Patients at Risk – Incorrectly States Temporal Artery Thermometers Miss Fevers in Black Patients When In Fact Oral/Rectal Thermometers Miss Fevers

Exergen Will Replace Inaccurate Oral/Rectal Thermometers in Healthcare Facilities  

The newly published Bhavani paper¹ contains an egregious error that puts Black people at risk, incorrectly stating that temporal artery thermometers miss fevers in Black patients. A subsequently published JAMA study from Pompei et al² rebuts the Bhavani findings and proves that oral/rectal thermometers, not temporal artery, miss fevers in Black people, putting them at a high health risk. Exergen is the first and only thermometer inventor to recognize this problem and design a thermometer that does not miss fevers in Black patients. It is imperative to correct this bias as quickly as possible to provide high quality healthcare to Black patients who are placed at risk by the error the Pompei JAMA study revealed. 

To provide an immediate solution to this highly critical error, Exergen is offering to replace each oral/rectal thermometer a healthcare facility might currently be using daily with an Exergen TAT-5000 temporal artery thermometer at a deeply discounted price. The company will provide a $200 credit for each oral/rectal thermometer being replaced with a professional grade Exergen thermometer. Healthcare professionals can visit www.exergen.com/upgrade to learn more.

"Equity in healthcare is non-negotiable and this egregious error in scientific research and reporting must be rectified,” says Exergen CEO Francesco Pompei, Ph.D. “Since day one, we have been intentional in our product development and design to ensure 100 percent accuracy in all patient groups. We set the gold standard, which is why our TAT-5000 temporal artery thermometer is used in more than half of U.S. hospitals. Now we are working hand in hand with healthcare facilities to ensure that every hospital can take an accurate temperature, no matter the patient.”  

Backed by 117 peer-reviewed, published clinical studies, Exergen’s TemporalScanner thermometers are used in a wide range of medical settings, including pediatric units, clinics, hospitals, and long-term care facilities. It is the #1 preferred thermometer of nurses and pediatricians and is used in more than half of all U.S. hospitals.

[1] Bhavani SV, Wiley Z, Verhoef PA, Coopersmith CM, Ofotokun I. Racial differences in detection of fever using temporal vs oral temperature measurements in hospitalized patients. JAMA. 2022;328(9):885-886 (Sep 6, 2022). doi:10.1001/jama.2022.12290

[2] Pompei, F., & Pompei, M. (2023). Racial Differences in Detection of Fever Using Temporal vs Oral Temperature Measurements. JAMA, 329(4), 342-342 Jan 24, 2023.

ABOUT EXERGEN CORPORATION



Exergen manufactures and markets two series of the TemporalScanner thermometer: a professional version for hospitals and clinics, and a consumer version sold in major retailers nationwide. More than three billion temperatures are taken each year with TemporalScanners. Used in thousands of hospitals and clinics across the country as well as in millions of homes, TemporalScanners are the #1 preference of pediatricians, nurses, and parents. The ExergenTemporalScanner’s accuracy is supported by more than 100 peer-reviewed published clinical studies covering all ages from preterm infants to geriatrics and all care areas from hospitals to homes. Exergen has also long been a leader in nursing. For nearly 20 years, it has been part of the nursing profession’s educational curriculum. Published textbooks from 2005 to present include Exergen thermometers and have set nurse training standards, relied upon in thousands of nursing programs nationwide. For additional information, visit www.exergen.com.