Ears Flashcards
What is ear embedded in?
the temporal bone
The external ear and external auditory canal end where?
the ear drum
what are ears designed for?
to pick up sounds
which part of the ear is genetically determined?
the Helex
How can you equalize pressure on both sides of the eardrum?
by swallowing
Eustachian tubes
In middle, creates equal pressure on both sides of tympanic membrane
Organ of Corti responsibility?
responsible for transmitting the cilia vibrations into a nerve impulse that travels down cranial nerve VIII.
Major treatment for vertigo?
Physical therapy
cone of light locations
4pm on Left, 7pm on Right
what happens to an eardrum that has had multiple tubes
it gets thicker, milkier, white
middle ear function
transmits sound to oval window and moves fluid through the cochlea
Inner ear function
transmits sound waves and position changes to nerve impulses
which organ is permanently damaged with hearing loss?
Cochlear
Insufflation
looking with a light, using air pressure to move eardrum
when examining an adult and child, what do you do differently?
Adult: pull up and back
child: pull down and back
what happens with hearing loss as you age? what situations do they then avoid because of this?
you have a hard time hearing the person next to you bc of all the white noise – embarrassing so they avoid large groups or situations where there are loud noises
How can you test for tinnitus
ask them a question and they will answer a different question
sensoryneuro hearing loss is do to damage of which organ?
cochlea, internal organs, organ of cordi, cranial nerve VIII
Conduction hearing loss causes
stiff eardrum, sclerosis of little bones
Presbycusis
gradual loss of hearing due to aging and interruption of vascular supply
voice test
client holds one ear shut and examiner whispers something in that ear
watch test
hold a watch to patients ear and ask if they can hear the ticking
If patient has an ear infection (conductive hearing loss), when doing the Weber test, what will you find?
bad ear will hear it because of the inability to hear the “white noise” from the infection
If patient has sensory neuro hearing loss, when doing the Weber test, what will you find?
good ear will hear it, bad ear wont
weber test
tapping a tuning fork and placing it on head
If patient has sensory neuro hearing loss, when doing a Rinne test, what will you find?
AC>BC in affected ear but less than 2:1 so its not a normal result
If patient has conductive hearing loss on one side, when doing a Rinne test, what will you find?
BC>AC in affected ear
Normal Rinne test
AC>BC 2:1
Schwabach test
one ear is covered, fork placed on bone, heard longer by the patient then its conductive hearing loss and if heard longer by the examiner its sensorineural hearing loss.
Positive Romberg sign
when patient stands up and closes their eyes and falls over or sways significantly
Past pointing
having client close eyes and point to examiners finger then have them raise finger and bring it back to examiners finger
If patient false past point test, has a positive Romberg sign, Gaze nystagmus test, hallpike maneuver what kind of problem do they have?
vestibular
Gaze Nystagmus test
patient will look straight, 30 degrees to each side and up and down, looking for any nystagmus
what does nystagmus indicate?
a problem with the vestibular system (sense of balance and coordination)
Tympanogram
measures how easily eardrum vibrates back and forth and what pressure vibration is easiest
Gives info on Eardrum compliance!
If middle ear is filled with fluid what will Tympanogram look like?
flat
If middle ear is filled with air what will Tympanogram look like?
it will be shifted
Pure tone audiometry
Identifies problems with hearing, speech, music and other sounds in environment
Speech audiometry
measurement of patients ability to hear spoken words
Auditory brain stem response (ABR) and who is it used on?
test to track nerve signals from inner ear to brain, used with babies
Electronystagmography (ENG) test
used to differentiate reasons for nystagmus by recording electrical fields with eye movement. NPO, long process!
external otitis
swimmers ear, infection of external auditory canal
external otitis treatment
antibiotics or steriods, heat, ASA or tylenol, ear plugs for swimming, no cotton swabs!
wicking
device which allows medication to go behind where it is swollen
serous otitis
fluid in middle ear behind ear drum
serous otitis s/s
air bubbles behind ear drum, Tympanogram curve wont be as high and shift to right, TM dull, immobile
acute otitis media
infection of middle ear
myringotomy
tube placement
Cholesteamtoma
epithelial cells and cholesterol in middle ear which erode the boney ossicles and eventually goes to ear drum
s/s Cholesteamtoma and what kind of referral is it?
pearly white lesion on or behind TM, its an immediate referral!
Mastoiditis
occurs from an untreated ear infection
Otosclerosis and what will TM look like
scarring on boney ossicles, pinkish discoloration of TM
Rinne and weber test with otosclerosis
negative Rinne and weber will show lateralization to affected ear
Cochlear Implants are used for which hearing loss?
sensorineural
Fenestration
removal of stapes, can cause vertigo, infection or facial nerve damage, complete hearing loss
Temperomadibular joint dysfunction
secondary cause of ear pain, associated with teeth grinding
Barotrauma
tissue damage caused by rapid change of pressure like in diving
tests for Barotrauma
Tympanogram
How long does a TM usually take to heal?
1-3 months
Tympanoplasty or myringoplasty
surgical reconstruction of ossicles and TM
Cerumen
earwax either thick dark or pasty yellow
most common cause of impacted canals?
cerumen
Cerumen removal
3 gtts of glycerin at bedtime and 3 gtts of hydrogen peroxide 2x/week
If nausea develops while irrigating an ear what do you do?
stop
hearing aids work best with which kind of hearing loss?
conductive
hearing aid education
use slowly, clean ear with mild soap and water, keep aid dry, no hair sprays
