Hearing Impairment Flashcards
What does hearing impairment affect?
The patients ability to communicate.
What are the types of hearing impairments?
Partial or total
Congenital or Acquired
What is conductive hearing loss?
Disruption in transmission of sound
Obstruction
Where does sensorineural hearing loss affect?
Inner ears and auditory nerve pathway
What causes sensorineural hearing loss?
Noise exposure Ototoxic drugs Tumors Vascular disorders Degenerative diseases
What causes prebyscusis hearing impairment?
Hair cells of cochlea degenerate with aging
What is effective with prebycusis hearing impairment?
Higher pitched tones and conversational speech lost initially.
What percentage of hearing loss in children is genetic?
50%
What percentage of environmental hearing loss around the time of birth?
25%
What the risk factors of hearing loss?
-Positive titer for TORCH infections
-Craniofacial abnormalities
-Very low birth weight
Bilirubin > 16 mg/dL
-Aminoglycoside med admin
-Low Apgar score at 1 or 5 minutes
-Bacterial meningitis
-Mechanical ventilation for over 5 days
-Syndromes associated with hearing loss
What are the warning signs of hearing impairment?
Inability to hear another individuals voice from 3 feet away, muffled sound perception, ear pain, ringing in ears
What can effect hearing damage?
Loudness of the noise and length of exposure
What are the clinical manifestations of conductive hearing loss?
Loss of hearing at all sound frequencies
What are the clinical manifestations of sensorineural hearing loss?
Loss of high-frequency tones
Speech discrimination difficult
What are the clinical manifestations of presbycusis hearing loss?
Gradual
Described as unsociable
Paranoid
What is tinnitus?
Perception of sound and noise without stimulus.
What is tinnitus usually associated with?
Hearing loss
What are the diagnostic test associated with hearing impairment?
- Diagnosis of correct type of hearing loss
- Whisper test
- Otoscope examination
- Tympanogram
- Rinne and Weber tests
What are the two types of surgery for hearing impairment?
Reconstructive surgeries of middle ear and cochlear implant
What are the three types of reconstructive surgeries of the middle ear?
Stapedectomy
Tympanoplasty
Myringotomy
What are the four types of cochlear implants?
- Microphone, speech transmitter
- Receive/stimulator, electrodes
- Function similar to way ear normally processes
- Provides sound perception, not normal hearing
What type of pharmacologic therapy is used for hearing impairments from upper respiratory infections?
Decongestants
What type of pharmacologic therapy is used for hearing impairment from sudden sensorineural hearing loss?
Steriods
What type of pharmacologic therapy is used for hearing loss from otitis media?
Antibiotics
True or False:
There are medications for permanent hearing loss.
False:
There are no medications for permanent hearing loss.
What do hearing aids not do?
Prevent, minimize or treat hearing loss
What are the six types of hearing aids?
- Behind the ear
- Receiver in canal
- In the ear
- In the canal
- Completely in canal
- Invisible in the canal
Other than a hearing aid- what are the other types of amplification devices for hearing impairments?
- Assistive listening device
- White noise-making for clients with tinnitus
- TTD/TTY telephones
- Internet accessibility
What additional therapies are used for patients with hearing loss other than amplification devices?
- Lip reading
- Singing
- Cuing
- Finger-spelling
What should you consider in a partner with hearing impairments?
- Type and extent of hearing loss
- Client’s adaptation to loss
- Availability of assistive hearing devices
- Client’s ability and willingness to use assistive devices
How should the nurse facilitate communication with a client who has hearing impairment?
- Face client
- Use low voice pitch
- Use short sentences
- Reduce environment noise before speaking
- do NOT overarticulate
- Use facial gestures
- Rephrase and repeat info
- Encourage socialization
