Abstract
This study aimed to analyze vital sign characteristics of adult patients admitted for elective surgery at the Tertiary Hospital of South Korea, and to define fever and average body temperature by examining the tympanic temperatures of all patients. Retrospective medical data were extracted from 9195 patients aged >21 years admitted to a tertiary hospital for elective surgeries between 2016 and 2020. Data regarding the patients’ vital signs during their hospital stay, including body temperature (measured using the tympanic method), heart rate, and respiratory rate, were analyzed according to age, sex, and circadian rhythm. A normal-distribution graph was obtained when all the body temperature results were aligned. The average body temperature measured was 36.91 ± 0.45°C (average ± standard deviation), indicating a potential fever threshold of 37.81°C. When the participants were divided into age groups, the average temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate exhibited parabolic trends. Patients in their 60s exhibited the lowest average temperature (36.88°C), whereas those in their 50s had the lowest average heart rate (75.82/min) and lowest respiratory rate (19.08/min). Heart rate and respiratory rate tended to increase in elderly people older than 81 years. The average body temperature was greater in women than in men (37.27°C vs. 37.22°C), while the average heart and respiratory rates were lower in women than in men (76.04/min vs. 77.40/min and 19.25/min vs. 19.35/min, respectively). According to the time of measurement, the average temperature and heart rate appeared to follow a sinusoidal pattern, suggesting that the circadian rhythm was lowest at 8 am. Tympanic temperature is a convenient and real-time measurement method preferred in hospital settings because it is easier to measure compared to other body parts. To develop an improved device and measurement method in the future, it is necessary to analyze tympanic temperature big data and compare it with past vital sign data or biometric information from other body parts.