ResolvingComplaints

Question 1

A weak battery gives all sorts of misleading results. Patient complaints include:

Answer 1

1. Not enough gain. 2. Outup lower than normal. 3. Distortion, scratchy, hollow sound, muffled, echo, poor sound quality 4. Buzzing, motorboarding, osciallation, dead. 5. Intermittent, noisy. 6. Works, then dies. 7. Works again several hours later, but dies quickly.

Question 2

To change ear canal resonance, or shift the resonant frequency upward in frequency you may:

Answer 2

1. enlarge the vent 2. use an external vent. 3. use slit leak 4. shorten the length of the canal.

Question 3

An echo, a vibration, hollow sounds, a plugged feeling, distortion, or feeling like the patient is coming down with a cold. Solutions to reduce lower frequencies include:

Answer 3

1. more airspace in the ear canal. You require a shorter earmold or a larger vent. Use a slit leak vent if venting is not possible. 2. make an acoustic adjustment to tone control potionmeters 3. plug the vent from the canal end, rather than the faceplate, to eliminate a 500 Hz resonant cavity.

Question 4

Patient complains their voice shoots over to their ear or are bothered by certain sounds (like water running)

Answer 4

The patient requires more range between MCL and UCL.

Question 5

Patient says their voice is too tinny, too sharp, or artifical sounding.

Answer 5

1. reduce the vent size 2. lower the tone control or changing dampers 3. tighter fitting earmold 4. change microphone or receiver to a lower freq response.

Question 6

Patient says head in barrel or feels like they are in a large, empty room, or has an echo bouncing back at them, than the output too high

Answer 6

no output pot, try lamb’s wool in receiver tube or earhook

Question 7

Patient says their voice is raspy

Answer 7

1. shortening tubing cuts down vibration 2. turn instrument louder 3. filing lower canal area along back and bottom. Vagus nerve pressure creates occlusion effect

Question 8

My chewing is too loud

Answer 8

requires enlarging the vent, shortening the canal or both

Question 9

My ears feel plugged, like I am wearing muffs

Answer 9

requires more gain at 1000 Hz, this may also include 750 and 1500 Hz. Or are wearing instrument too low.

Question 10

When you like acoustic response of instrument of hearing istrument and need to shorten it for comfot

Answer 10

reduce the size of vent one size for each 1/4” you shorten. You also reduce overall output by shortening the canal.

Question 11

Hears sound but doesn’t understand with aid

Answer 11

Reduce low freq., enlarge the vent, shorten canal

Question 12

Feedback all the time

Answer 12

close vent entirely, build up canal

Question 13

Check microphone and receiver openings for

Answer 13

wax, skin oils, moisture, perspiration

Question 14

Clean battery contacts with

Answer 14

pencil eraser or flat side of wooden tooth pick

Question 15

Ear Hook

Answer 15

switch to telecoil and volume low. If you hear click, hear hook working fine, no click replace ear hook

Question 16

An ITE or canal hearing instrument usual has feeddback when

Answer 16

the receiver tubing is not entirely sealed in the sound bore, or tubing has hole in it

Question 17

If you cover sound bore or receiver and feed back persists:

Answer 17

1. proper seating of earmold 2 proper fit of earmold 3 excess or impacted wax 4 change of hearing, an ear infection or foreign body 5 extremely weak battery

Question 18

If feedback continues,

Answer 18

remove earmold and tubing, cover coupling tip, feedback persists earmold and tubing problem, if feedback continues, remove earhook, if feedback continues, earhook split