Behind

Ear

Gentle Touch Thermometer

USE AND CARE MANUAL

IMPORTANT!

READ AND SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS

Model

V980USSM

V980

Behind Ear Gentle Touch Thermometer

Instruction Manual

The Vicks ® Behind Ear Gentle Touch Thermometer has been carefully developed for accurate, safe and fast temperature measurements. The

Vicks ® Behind Ear Gentle Touch Thermometer is a non-sterile, reusable clinical thermometer intended for intermittent determination of human body temperature using behind earlobe as the measurement as the measurement site on people of all ages.

However, as with any thermometer, proper technique is critical in obtaining accurate temperatures. Therefore, read the use instructions carefully and thoroughly.

Warnings and Precautions

1. Do not use thermometer for 20 minutes on skin if exposed to hot or cold temperatures such as direct sunlight, fireplace heat, cold

(compress), direct air conditioning air flow, swimming, bathing, etc.

2. Do not place the thermometer on scarred tissue or tissue compromised by skin disorders.

3. Do not use on patients in trauma or patients treated with certain drug therapies.

4. Do not take temperature from the side on which the patient was laying — use the opposite side.

5. Do not expose the thermometer to temperature extremes below -4°F (-20°C) or over 122°F (50°C) nor excessive humidity

(> 85% non-condensing relative humidity).

6. This thermometer should not be used to determine temperature below

95.9 °F (35.5 °C) or above 107.6 °F (42 °C). This thermometer is not intended to interpret hypothermic temperatures.

7. Do not use this thermometer if the operating ambient temperature range is below 50°F (10°C) or over 104°F (40°C).

8. Do not mount the battery with the positive sign facing down. The thermometer will not work.

9. This thermometer is intended for household use only.

10. Use of this thermometer is not intended as a substitute for consultation with your physician.

11. This thermometer is not intended for pre-term babies or small-forgestational age babies.

12. Do not allow children to take their temperatures unattended.

13. Please consult your doctor if you see symptoms such as unexplained irritability, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, seizure, changes in appetite or activity, even in the absence of fever, or who exhibits a low temperature, may still need to receive medical attention.

14. People who are on antibiotics, analgesics, or antipyretics should not be assessed solely on temperature readings to determine the severity of their illness.

15. Temperature elevation may signal a serious illness, especially in adults who are old, frail, have a weakened immune system, or neonates and infants. Please seek professional advice immediately when there is a temperature elevation and if you are taking temperature for whom are:

• neonates and infants under 3 months

• over 60 years of age

• having diabetes mellitus or a weakened immune system (e.g. HIV positive, cancer chemotherapy, chronic steroid treatment, splenectomy)

• bedridden (e.g. nursing home patient, stroke, chronic illness, recovering from surgery)

• a transplant patient (e.g. liver, heart, lung, kidney)

Fever may be blunted or even absent in elderly patients.

How does Vicks Behind Ear Gentle Touch Thermometer Work?

The Vicks Behind Ear Gentle Touch Thermometer is a hand-held, battery powered device designed to measure human body temperature with a special sensor that accurately and gently detects heat flow through the skin directly behind the ear lobe using the heat conduction effect and prediction techniques. The thermometer calculates heat flow through the skin and by use of a mathematical algorithm estimates the internal body temperature.

The temperature reading range of the thermometer is from 95.9° F to 107.6° F

(35.5°C to 42°C) and the reading time is about 1 second.

Why Measure Behind the Ear?

The skin area behind the earlobe is over the posterior auricular artery which is a branch of the carotid artery. The carotid artery carries blood to the brain and therefore this site is the best external place to measure temperature.

Body Temperature

Normal body temperature is not a single number – it’s a range.

Many people incorrectly believe that 98.6°F (37°C) is the only normal temperature. Yet, it’s just an average number. Each person has their own normal range which fluctuates throughout the day. It is, therefore, important to determine your normal temperature range. A person’s normal

(healthy) temperature range tends to decrease with age.

The best method to determine a normal temperature for you and your family members is to use the thermometer when you are feeling well.

Record your reading twice a day (early morning and late afternoon) and take an average of the two temperatures. This is considered your normal body temperature. Any variation from it may indicate some sort of illness and you should consult a doctor.

Description

Power On

Start Button

Sensor Measures temperature. It will move outward when the Start Button is pressed.

Washable Ring This is where the sensor is located. The soft washable ring gently touches the skin behind the ear when measuring temperature.

Screen

Turns thermometer on.

When the thermometer is placed against the hollow behind the ear, press and hold this button for 1 second to take a temperature.

The screen displays (green) if no fever, (yellow) when the temperature is slightly elevated and a (red) alert for fever.

Indicates when the battery needs to be replaced.

Low Battery

Indicator

Memory

Battery Door

C/F Switch

Pressing this button will recall the last 8 readings.

Provides access to CR2032 battery.

Changes display to Celsius or Fahrenheit.

Sensor

Washable

Ring Start Button

Low Battery

Indicator

Screen

Memory

C/F Switch (behind battery door, next to battery)

Battery Door

Power On

First Time Use

1. Remove display plastic decal. Remove 98.6 °F label from display.

2. Pull plastic strip from under battery door on the back side of the thermometer. No need to open the battery door. This will activate the battery.

How to Take a Temperature

1. Press the Power Button.

2. Wait for OK.

3. Place the yellow ring of the product on the neck behind the ear lobe.

HINT: You can locate this perfect spot by touch: the soft hollow sits between the base of the ear and the bone just behind the ear lobe. When taking a temperature, you want to make sure to position the thermometer in this spot.

You may want to lift your child’s ear lobe slightly to ensure you are in the right location.

4. While holding thermometer in that spot, press and hold the Start Button.

When the unit beeps, release Start Button (Takes about one second.)

5. Temperature displays.

6. Wait 10 seconds for the count-down to take additional temperatures.

7. Thermometer will shut off automatically after 60 seconds.

1 2 3

4

M

Beep

5

M

M

6

M

Temperature Taking Hints

• External factors may influence accuracy, including when an individual has:

– been recently swimming or bathing.

– been lying on the side where the temperature is taken from. Never take temperature from the side on which the patient was laying.

Use the opposite side.

– been recently exposed to hot or cold air temperatures. Wait at least

20 minutes after the patient was moved to a room with normal operating conditions.

• Readings from the right side of the patient’s head may differ from readings taken on the left side of the head. Therefore, preferably take all temperatures on the same side of the head.

Memory Mode

The Vicks Behind Ear Gentle Touch Thermometer stores the last 8 temperature readings. After turning power on, the last temperature is always briefly displayed.

• To retrieve the last 8 readings, press the “M” Button.

The Display will show the most recent temperature with the corresponding reading number. Pressing the “M”

Button will show additional readings.

• The Memory Mode is exited either automatically if the “M” Button is no longer pushed or by pressing the Power Button.

Fever InSight ® Feature

Fever InSight helps you to better understand the meaning of your child’s temperature with the color indicated on the display. The screen displays

Green if no fever, Yellow when the temperature is slightly elevated and a Red alert for fever.

• For readings between 97.0-98.8, the LCD will display green as the backlight color indicating that the measurement is within an acceptable range.

• For readings between 98.9-100.3, the LCD will display yellow as the backlight color indicating a slight elevation in temperature measurement.

• For readings 100.4 and above, the LCD will display red as the backlight color indicating possible fever.

Trouble-Shooting

Problem Possible Cause

Power can not be turned on Battery is low or not snapped into position inside the battery holder.

Solution

Make sure battery is tightly snapped into battery holder. If the battery is dead, replace battery.

Product doesn’t turn off Internal malfunction

Patient or thermometer was moved from a cold environment.

Thermometer probe was recently wet cleaned.

Patient or thermometer was moved from a warm environment.

Patient was laying on the same side where measurement was taken.

Remove and replace battery.

Wait at least 20 minutes before retaking temperature.

Wait at least 5 minutes after cleaning before retaking temperature.

Wait at least 20 minutes before retaking temperature.

Measure temperature from the opposite side.

Internal malfunction Restart thermometer.

Thermometer was moved during temperature taking process.

Thermometer was not in the correct position during the temperature taking process.

Short measurement time.

Start button was pressed too slow.

Hold thermometer still and retake measurement.

Make sure yellow ring of thermometer is behind ear lobe and retake measurement.

Make sure that the Start Button is kept pressed until the beep sounds.

Retake the temperature and ensure the start button is pressed down quickly.

Be sure to hold the Start Button until you hear the beep.

Care and Cleaning

• If the Sensor needs to be cleaned or disinfected, push and hold Start Button to move the tip outward from the Washable Ring. Gently wipe the Sensor and the

Washable Ring with a cotton swab or piece of cotton dampened with alcohol. Allow to dry for at least 5 minutes before measuring temperature.

• Use a soft cloth to clean the thermometer display and exterior. The cloth can be slightly dampened with water or alcohol.

• Do not use abrasive cleaners. Never submerge this thermometer in water or any other liquid.

• Store thermometer in a dry location at room temperature free from dust and contamination and away from direct sunlight.

• Do not put thermometer under running tap water or immerse it in the water.

Low Battery Indicator and Replacing Batteries

• If the Low Battery Indicator appears on the Display, it is time to replace your battery. The thermometer takes one

3V lithium battery (CR2032).

• Use your finger to gently lift the battery door open.

• Remove battery by using a pen tip or similar sized item to press the metal tab upward toward the head of the thermometer. The battery will pop up for easy removal.

• Insert a new CR2032 battery with + sign facing out. Push the battery down until it snaps into place.

To protect the environment, dispose of empty batteries at appropriate collection sites according to national or local regulations.

Changing the Temperature Scale

Your thermometer is set at the factory to display Fahrenheit (°F) temperature measurements. If you wish to switch to Celsius (°C) and/or back from Celsius to Fahrenheit, follow the following steps:

1) Press the Power Button to turn on the thermometer.

2) Open the Battery Door - use your finger to lift the battery door open.

°C/°F Pinhole 3) Find inside the battery compartment a small pin hole with letters C/F nearby.

4) When the display is in the Ready state with <OK> displayed, insert a paper clip wire into the hole and press once to switch temperature display.

5) Follow the steps in the previous “How to Take a

Temperature” section of this manual.

Product Specifications

Displayed temperature range:

Measurement time:

Operating ambient temperature range: 50–104 °F (10–40 °C)

Display resolution: 0.1 °F (also available in °C)

Accuracy:

95.9–107.6 °F (35.5–42 °C)

1 second

Non-predictive mode (liquid bath):

98.6 - 102.2 °F ➔ 0.2 °F (37 - 39 °C ➔ 0.1 °C) below 98.6 & above 102.2 °F ➔ 0.3 °F (below 37 & above 39 °C ➔ 0.2 °C)

Predictive mode (clinical) :

Humidity storage:

Battery life:

Symbol Explanations:

0.4 °F (0.2 °C)

< 15-95% non-condensing

2 years or 500 measurements

TYPE BF

EQUIPMENT

LOT

LOT

NUMBER

DATE OF

MANUFACTURE

Subject to change without notice.

This appliance conforms to ASTM Standards for Clinical Thermometers:

E1112 and E1965-98 for clinical accuracy, wherever applicable.

Portable and mobile RF communications equipment can affect MEDICAL

ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT.

IEC 60601-1:2005 Medical electrical equipment – Part 1: General requirements for basic safety and essential performance.

IEC 60601-1-2: General requirements for basic safety and essential performance –Collateral standard: Electromagnetic compatibility –

Requirements and tests

Note: Do not use this device in the presence of electromagnetic or other interferenceoutside the normal range specified in IEC 60601-1-2.