Bluetooth Axillary Temperature Monitoring in Outpatient Autologous Stem Cell Transplant Patients

Topic Significance & Study Purpose/Background/Rationale Neutropenic fever in autologous stem cell transplant (HCT) patients can be life threatening with every hour in delay of antibiotic administration leading to increased mortality. In this pilot we evaluated if a wearable continuous axillary temperature monitor (TempTraq®) led to faster identification of fevers (temperature of 100.5 or greater) compared to the standard every 4 hour oral temperature monitoring. Methods, Intervention, & Analysis Patients wore a TempTraq axillary bluetooth temperature monitor, a small, wireless, wearable patch positioned in the axilla, in the outpatient setting beginning on day 0 of the HSCT period while continuing to check oral temperatures every 4 hours while awake. The TempTraq monitor recorded axillary temperatures every 10 seconds, uploading the information to patient phones every 2 minutes. Patients were instructed to immediately call if a temperature of ≥100.5°F was detected. Findings & Interpretation Patients ranged in age from 24 to 78 years (average 63); 6 were male. One patient was non compliant and did not wear the monitor. Of the remaining 8 patients, 2 did not experience fevers; of the 6 who did, all had fevers that were first detected by TempTraq before SOC. Antibiotics were initiated in all of the 6 patients who reported fevers, with 1 of the 6 patients able to remain outpatient. There were only two cases in which a temperature reading was discordant between TempTraq and standard of care: in the first, the patch was misplaced low in the axilla, and in the second, the patient was under a large number of blankets, raising the axillary temperature (though not the oral temperature). Six of eight patients (75%) supported the use of TempTraq in other HCT patients; as one patient noted, “I liked it, it identified when my temperature was going up and I called the hospital and I was admitted.” One of 8 (12.5%) reported discomfort with the patch Discussion & Implications Bluetooth Axillary Temperature monitoring in autologous stem cell transplant Patients is a promising way to measure temperature in the outpatient setting, which may lead to earlier detection of fevers. Follow up studies to determine if this strategy results in reduced time to antibiotic administration and improved outcomes are warranted.