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Hearing Aids Flashcards

1
Q

What do hearing aids do?

A
  • They aid hearing
  • Make speech audible
  • Greater audibility of environmental sounds
  • Restores loudness experience
  • Improvement in speech clarity in quiet and sometimes noisy environments
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2
Q

What can’t hearing aids do?

A
  • They cannot restore natural organic hearing

- Even though they make speech audible, it doesn’t always make it understandable

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3
Q

What is history of hearing aids?

A
  1. Cuffing our ears - oldest form of hearing aids, can add 12db of gain to 1kHz
  2. Electrical tabletop hearing aids introduced in 1800s
  3. Body worn hearing aids in 1900s
  4. BTE emerged in 1960-1970s
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4
Q

What makes up hearing aid electroacoustics?

A
  • Gain
  • Output
  • Maximum Power Output (MPO)
  • Distortion
  • Equivalent Noise
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5
Q

Define gain

A

Gain is the amount of amplification that was added to the input level (dB)

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6
Q

Define output

A

Output is the total amount of sound that a hearing aid produces for a given signal

  • Gain + Input = Output
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7
Q

Define MPO

A

The maximum possible output of a HA

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8
Q

Define distortion

A

The number of unwanted signals or noise produced by hearing aid

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9
Q

Define equivalent noise

A

The amount of noise produced when no input signal is present

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10
Q

What makes up the hearing aid components?

A
  1. Microphone
  2. Amplifier
  3. Receiver
  4. Batteries
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11
Q

Define microphone

A

It’s a device that detects and transfers acoustic energy into an electrical signal

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12
Q

Define omni-directional microphone

A

It picks up sound from all directions

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13
Q

Define directional microphones

A

Where many hearing aids have two microphones used to increase directionality

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14
Q

What is a polar plot?

A

It plots sensitivity of microphone 360 degrees around patients head

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15
Q

What are microphones susceptible to?

A
  1. Moisture, Water
  2. Vibrations
  3. Wind Noise
  4. Internal Electrical Noise
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16
Q

What are the traditional methods of amplifying sounds that’s no longer used?

A
  1. Conventional Amplifier

2. Programmable Amplifier

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17
Q

Modern hearing aid technology uses?

A

Digital sound processors

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18
Q

What does a modern hearing aid technology require?

A

An analog-to-digital converter

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19
Q

Why does modern hearing aid technology require an analog-to-digital converter?

A

Because a microphone turns acoustic energy into analog electric signal

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20
Q

For modern hearing aid technology, once the signal is digitized, what occurs next?

A

The digital signal processor (DSP) assigns components of sound to channels

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21
Q

What does modern hearing aid have?

A

Multiple channels

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22
Q

What can be applied to each channel as needed by the hearing loss?

A

Gain

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23
Q

The more channels, the ..

A

Better resolution

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24
Q

What are the hearing aid output?

A

Peak clipping & Compression

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25
Define peak clipping
It cuts all sound output above certain level
26
What falls under peak clipping?
- Amplification is linear until sound reaches certain limit | - Often adds distortion and sounds unnatural
27
Define compression
It creates non-linear gain profile
28
What falls under compression?
- Allows more sounds to fit into the same dynamic range - Cutoff level set to patient's comfort level - Sounds more natural than peak clipping
29
What is a receiver?
Takes amplified electrical signal and converts back into an acoustic signal
30
What is another name for a receiver?
A speaker
31
What characteristics makes up a receiver?
- Come in varied sizes depending on how much amplification is needed for the patients hearing loss - Are easily damaged or blocked by cerumen - The larger the receiver- the larger out capable output level - Vulnerable to moisture damage
32
What are the types of hearing aid batteries?
1. Disposable | 2. Rechargeable
33
What are modern disposable batteries?
Zinc-Air
34
What characteristics makes up modern disposable batteries?
- Activated by exposure to air - Last 1wk - Larger size
35
What are the color and size of Zinc-Air Battery?
- Yellow = 10 - Brown = 312 - Orange = 13 - Blue = 675
36
What are the Hearing Aid Classification?
1. Hearing Aid Style 2. How the Aid is Coupled to the Ear 3. Hearing Aid Technology Level
37
What are the hearing aid styles?
1. Behind the Ear (BTE) 2. In the Ear (ITE) - Full Shell - Half Shell 3. Completely In Canal (CIC) 4. Invisible In Canal (IIC) 5. Receiver In Canal (RIC)
38
What is BTE?
It's an all-electrical component located in the body of the hearing aid positioned behind the pinna
39
For BTE, what are the components?
- Mic Ports - Hearing Aid Body - Tone Hook - Battery Door - Slim Tube Option
40
What does BTE style require?
That sound be pushed through the tone hook/ear hook and tubing to reach the ear canal
41
List advantages to BTE
1. Less feedback noises 2. Easy to handle 3. Wide frequency responses 4. Electronics outside the ear = more protected 5. Can easily replace mold without needing entirely new hearing aid 6. Easy repairs on tubing
42
List disadvantages to BTE
1. Cosmetic concerns 2. Wind noise 3. Insertion difficulty 4. Maintenance (frequent tubing changes) 5. Physical Fit (sometimes tubing is too large for patients' ear)
43
Which population gets BTE hearing aids?
Pediatrics
44
What are the benefits of the BTE for pediatrics population?
1. Can change ear mold frequently as child grows 2. Connection to FM system 3. More durable 4. Pediatrics BTE style can be retrofitted with indicator lights, tamper proof battery doors, and fun colors
45
What are some characteristics of BTE- Slim Tube?
1. More aesthetically appealing to patients 2. More patients can change tubes themselves 3. Can be couples to ear using either ear mold or dome fitting
46
What is some characteristics of RIC?
1. Most popular hearing aid style in the market 2. Looks like BTE but has mic ports, DSP chip located behind the ear, and the receiver is connected by thin wire positioned in the canal 3. Can use custom mold or dome fitting
47
What does a RIC have?
Mic ports, DSP chip located behind the ear, and the receiver is connected by thin wire positioned in the canal
48
List advantages to RIC
1. Reduces feedback 2. Larger fitting range 3. Smaller body size 4. Keep BTE style without having to push sound through tube 5. Easy receiver replacement in the office
49
Why is there less feedback for RIC?
Because the receiver and mics are separated
50
What is one main difference between BTE & RIC
Since the BTE require sound to be pushed through the tube hook/ear hook and tubing to reach the ear canal this change resonance properties. BUT with RIC there's no need to push sound through tube
51
List disadvantages for RIC?
1. Receiver easily damaged by cerumen 2. Difficult to insert 3. Difficult to clean 4. Is selected inappropriately in replacement of other hearing aid styles
52
What are custom hearing aids?
Hearing aids that are located inside the ear
53
Which hearing aid styles falls under "Custom Hearing Aids"
1. ITE Full Shell 2. ITE Half Shell 3. CIC 4. IIC
54
Define ITE Full Shell
It fits in the whole concha
55
Define ITE Half Shell
Smaller, does not cover the Helix portion
56
Define CIC
Even smaller than ITE and it does not extend past the canal entrance
57
List the advantages of custom hearing aids
1. Cosmetically appealing (CIC & IIC) 2. Easy to clean 3. Easy to insert 4. Comfortable 5. Great for elderly patients (full shell)
58
List the disadvantages of custom hearing aids
1. Prone to damage since all components are inside the ear 2. Require being sent back to manufacture for repair 3. Limited function for smaller sizes 4. Limited power for profound losses
59
List the types of implantable hearing aids
1. Bone anchored hearing aid 2. New non-surgical bone-anchored hearing aid 3. Maxum hearing implant 4. Esteem hearing implant
60
Define Bone Anchored Hearing Aid
Hearing aid that uses bone conduction to transmit signal
61
List when would you use a bone anchored hearing aid
- For conductive hearing loss - Chronically draining ear or ear infections - Any situations that is unable to be fit with traditional air conduction hearing aid - Can require surgery
62
What's the purpose of a maxum hearing implant?
Uses magnetics to interact with prosthetics
63
What's the purpose of an esteem hearing implant?
Takes signal from malleus and amplifies
64
List hearing aids options
1. Tele coil (T-Coil) | 2. Program Button
65
What's the purpose of tele coil?
Picks up magnetic field and sends to hearing aid
66
What's the purpose of a program button?
It's a program button that can be set to perform many functions
67
What program functions consist of the program button?
1. Change between programs set for different environments 2. Volume control 3. Mute function 4. On/off for newer reprogrammable hearing aids 5. Can set multiple functions to a single button 6. Volume control in the shape of a "wheel" style for ITE hearing aids
68
What are ear impressions?
It's a custom "cast" made of the ear canal used to make a custom fitted hearing aid or mold
69
What's the most popular method for ear impressions?
Use otoblock and silicone impression material to fill the ear
70
What is Lantos ear scanning?
A new method of taking ear-impressions that produces instantaneous electronic scan instead of a physical "cast"
71
When are ear molds used?
BTE & RIC style hearing aids
72
What are the reasons for selecting an ear mold?
1. Retention 2. Acoustic appropriateness 3. Pediatric fitting 4. Patient dexterity issues 5. Reduce feedback 6. Hard to fit canal 7. Collapsed canals
73
What is hearing aid coupling?
How the hearing aid is connected to the ear
74
What consists of hearing aid coupling?
- Open-fit - Ear mold venting - Tubing acoustics
75
What is open-fit?
It's where the ear canal is acoustically transparent to external environment (it's where the hearing aid does not prevent sound in or out of the canal)
76
What is ear mold venting?
It's the size of the vent that can make anywhere from an open fit to pressure vent
77
What should you remember about ear mold venting?
1. The smaller the vent the less feedback 2. The smaller the vent the better low-frequency gain 3. The smaller the vent the more patient will hear their own voice
78
What is tubing acoustics?
It's the shape and thickness of BTE tubing changes acoustic properties
79
What falls under tubing acoustics?
1. Damping | 2. Horn Tubing
80
What frequencies falls under damping?
Mid frequencies
81
What frequencies falls under horn tubing?
High frequencies
82
What frequencies falls under venting?
Low frequencies
83
What makes up hearing aid accessories?
1. Remote Mic 2. TV Streamer 3. Patients Cell phone

Aural Rehabilitation (2 decks)

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