Exam 3 (Josh) - Ears Flashcards
Top of the ear is the ——-
Helix
You can push on this part of the ear to assess for pain.
Tragus
The Eustachian Tube is located in which part of the ear?
Middle Ear
Which direction should the cone of light be pointing in a healthy Tympanic Membrane (TM)?
right ear = 5:00
left ear = 7:00
note: always should be pointing towards the chin of the client
If the cone of light fails to appear (or appear in unlikely spot) on inspection, what is the likely cause?
pressure/inflammation of the middle/inner ear
Why are children more likely to get ear infections than an adult?
they have a more hollow, straight eustachian tube that doesn’t allow for good drainage, leading to pressure build up
also easier for pathogens to remain, or come up from the nasal area
The central hearing apparatus of the ear is located where?
cochlea
The ———– connects the middle ear with the nasopharynx and allows for the passage of air.
eustachian tube
Clinical term for ear wax is ——-
cerumen
The visible part of the ear that is located outside of the canal is called what?
We pull on this to inspect the inside.
auricle
aka: pinna
Clinical term for an ear-ache or ear pain?
otalgia
Otitis Media
inflammation of the middle ear (behind the TM, in the eustachian tube)
Otorrhea
fluid discharge of the ear
Otosclerosis
gradual bone formation that causes the footplate of the stapes to become fixed in the oval window, impeding the transmission of sound and causing progressive deafness
A common cause of conductive hearing loss in young adults (age 20-40) is ——–
ostosclerosis
A ———- hearing loss involves a mechanical dysfunction of the external/middle ear.
A ——— hearing loss signifies some pathology of the inner ear (CN VIII) or the auditory areas of the cerebral cortex.
conductive
sensorineural
A client with damage to CN VIII has which type of hearing loss?
sensorineural
A client with damage to the external/middle ear has which type of hearing loss?
conductive
The gradual sensorineural hearing loss caused by nerve degradation that slowly progresses after the age of 50?
Affects 60% of those >65
presbycusis
mostly high-frequency sound loss
90% of all children
otitis media
due to the slope and size of the eustachian tubes
57% of older adult hearing loss can be attributed to what?
impacted cerumen
What causes cerumen to build up in greater amounts in older age?
cilia lining the ear canal become coarse and stiff, causing cerumen to accumulate and oxidize
the cerumen itself is dryer due to atrophy of the apocrine glands
Differentiate b/t dry cerumen and wet cerumen.
dry cerumen is gray and flaky and frequently forms a thin mass in the ear canal
wet cerumen is honey to dark brown and moist
What does a clinical presentation of otorrhea suggest?
infected canal or perforated eardrum
What is Tinnitus?
ringing in the ears
white noise helps with this
What causes tinnitus?
cerumen impaction, otitis media
Objective Vertigo vs. Subjective Vertigo
Objective = the room is spinning Subjective = person feels they are spinning
Why inspect the skin of the outer ear? What are we looking for?
signs of skin cancer
Normal ear - eye alignment is ——. Anything greater can be seen in which type of disorder?
10 degrees
> 10 degrees may be a sign of Down’s Syndrome
When assessing the TM, we pull on the adult’s pinna ——– and the child’s ——-.
Adults = up and out Child = straight down
In the Rinne Test (tuning fork) sound is heard longer/greater where?
AC > BC
air conduction should be greater (twice as long) as bone conduction
Placing the tuning fork in the midline of the forehead to check to symmetry of hearing is called?
Weber Test
sound should not lateralize
The Whisper Test is used to detect the loss of which type of hearing?
high pitch
Are tuning fork tests (Rinne & Weber) good assesments of hearing?
No
close to 40% of normal hearing people lateralize with the Weber test
Meniere’s Disease leads to the loss of which type of hearing (conductive or sensorineurual).
sensorineural
happens in the inner ear
Assessing children, the accoustic blink is used for what ages?
newborn - 4 mths
At what age can a child localize a sound (in assessing for hearing) and respond to their name?
6-8 mths
Normal TMs look….
- shiny & transulscent
- pearly gray
- cone of light in proper location
Which attachment is used to check the TM of a child by blowing on it?
pneumatic bulb attachment
used to check for pressure behind TM
Why is it best to assess a child’s hearing at the end?
it is very invasive and they don’t like it
What is the purpose of a PE tube?
pressure equalizing tube
used to equalize the pressure in the inner ear by placing a small hole in the TM
In Presbycusis, which is harder to hear, consonants or vowels?
consonants
they are higher pitched
Which ear is usually the first to face age related hearing loss?
left ear
driving w/ window down
What is the unique situation where people who’ve lost hearing and/or sight have developed hallucinations in sight and sound?
Charles Bonnet Syndrome
10% of the impaired are subject to these hallucinations
