midterm 2 Flashcards
how do lifestyle assessments assist audiological recommendations
gives us an idea of the patients everyday life
-it helps give us information regarding the level of technology
8 warning signs of ear disease that should be referred or a medical evaluation
visible congenital/traumatic deformity, history of active drainage from ear within previous 90 days, history of sudden/rapidly progressive HL within previous 90 days, acute or chronic dizziness, unilateral HL of sudden/recent onset, audiometric ABGs equal to or greater than 15 dB at 500, 1000 and 2000 Hz, visible evidence of significant cerumen accumulation and pain/discomfort in the ear
heuristic decision making
making decisions based on experience and trial/error with previous patients
-proceeding to a solution by trial and error or rules that are loosely defined
HA technology level recommendation is based on
activity level, hours of use, patients age and speech discrimination
-increased technology with increased participation
-more use of HA will result in more benefit from premium technology
-entry level recommendations increase for patients over 70
-good speech discrimination were recommended premium technology more frequently
patient preference decision making
looking at what the patient wants and what they think they may want
-ranking of features that they can deem of importance will vary from patient to patient
degree of HL decision making
mild : more likely to rate visibility as extremely important, more likely to rate additional technology features as important
severe : function over visibility!
evidence based research decision making
benefits of premium technology improving intelligibility and localization did not translate into real world benefit
-however, individuals with poor ANL scores and individuals that regularly communicate in large groups or demanding settings benefited from premium technology
what is a recommendation based on evidence based research
multi level demonstration level technology during device trials will then allow patients to compare entry level to premium level within a realistic environment
frequency shaping bands
specific range of frequencies that are adjusted together
how many frequency shaping bands are needed to optimize HA fitting
only 4 to 7 bands were found to be sufficient
-with flat or sloping HA, 4 provided flexibility
-with steeply sloping loss, 7 bands allowed output adjustments
compression shaping channels
channels adjusting the compression ratio to shape the output within the individuals dynamic range
-number of bands needed varies based on configuration
how many compression shaping channels are needed to optimize a HA fitting
around 9 channels should accommodate most audiograms
-increasing bands from 3 to 18 improved speech audibility for a sloping HL but increasing above 18 provided little benefit
RE
real ear measures
U
unaided
O
occluded
A
aided
G/R
gain/response
-gain is the difference between output and input
-response is the absolute measure of SPL arriving to the TM
real ear unaided response (REUR)
measurement of the absolute SPL (output) of the open ear canal measurement at the tympanic membrane
-measuring input, gain and resonance across all frequencies with no mold or HA, just the ear
importance of measuring the REUR
by knowing the ear canal resonance, it can help with prescriptive fitting
-pediatric has tiny ears so volume will be smaller and the SPL will increase
-with age, the resonance will change because you have reflection and resonance changing in the ear
real ear unaided gain (REUG)
measurement of gain increase resulting from pinna, ear canal and head diffraction effects
-calculation of the difference between the input arriving to the TM and the output leaving the TM
real ear occluded response (REOR)
measurement of the attenuation of an input signal, across all frequencies, when a HA is inserted and turned off
-input that arrives to the TM when it is occluded
importance of measuring the REOR
to see if the vent effect is releasing the lows as it should be, if the open dome is truly open or if the closed vents or power domes supply the needed LF gain
-also can show if the vents introducing the standing wave effect
real ear occluded gain (REOG)
measurement of gain reduction, across frequencies, when the HA is inserted and turned off
-looking at insertion loss!!
real ear aided response (REAR)
absolute aided output and frequency response when a HA is turned on
-the increasing gain in the output that is arriving to the TM
importance of measuring the REAR
to view devices aided output and some prescriptive targets use these points
-this will change based on depth of the coupler
real ear insertion gain (REIG)
measures amount of gain needed to overcome the insertion loss and restore audibility of the signal
-difference between aided and unaided response
-showing difference between the input arriving to the HA and the output arriving to the TM
importance of measuring the REIG
gain will be adjusted based on this in order to meet targets
REAR 85/90 (MPO)
measures the intensity of the output signal arriving to the TM when the input is sufficiently intense to drive the device to its maximum power output level
importance of measuring the MPO
documents the MAX SPL that the HA can deliver to the users ear for loud sounds and to ensure that MPO settings do not exceed loudness discomfort levels
what type of signal do we use with real ear measurements
pink noise
what is the ideal depth of the probe
within 2-5 mm of the TM
reference microphone
monitoring and calibrating the soundfield speaker output and maintaining the desired signal intensity at the measurement point
-making sure the intended intensity is that of the intensity arriving to the test spot
retention cord
stabilizes and maintains the reference microphone position
probe tube
measures the intensity of the signal arriving to the TM
probe microphone
collects and measures sound from the probe tube attached to it
what is the output requirement to achieve binaural benefit
aided output must be within 15 dB to achieve binaural benefit
type 1 test signals
pure tone signal swept over a variety of frequencies
-drives a higher output and used to measures maximum loudness
-however this does not show effect of compression or channel interactions and DFS signals attenuate them
type 2 test signals
complex speech like signals that are broadband signal consisting of random frequencies occurring at different intensities
-changing amplitude mimics speech
-however rapid gain changes may not truly show a devices response to different spectral shapes in the succeeding sounds
what are non-calibrated signals helpful with
counseling but NOT for fittings
-i.e. can use live voice of a communication partner to show audibility compared to non-audibility
long term average speech spectrum (LTASS)
frequency dependent measure of time average sound pressure level of speech
-this is a calculated average within the speech envelope from a measured signal for around 10 seconds
importance of the LTASS
important when determining how much gain to add to the input signal
-useful with the process of fitting HAs
peaks and valleys of the speech envelope in relation to the LTASS
peaks are 12 dB louder than the LTASS and valleys are 18 dB softer than the LTASS