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Hearing Loss/Presbycusis
Published in Charles Theisler, Adjuvant Medical Care, 2023
Noise-induced hearing loss from regular activities such as target shooting, snowmobile riding, listening to music at high volume, or attending loud concerts can cause ear damage and hearing loss. The best preventatives are to wear protective earmuffs/ earplugs, avoid loud noises, or to turn down the volume, if possible.3
Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Published in R James A England, Eamon Shamil, Rajeev Mathew, Manohar Bance, Pavol Surda, Jemy Jose, Omar Hilmi, Adam J Donne, Scott-Brown's Essential Otorhinolaryngology, 2022
Linnea Cheung, David M. Baguley, Andrew McCombe
NIHL is a preventable health condition. Employers have a statutory duty under the Health and Safety Work Act 1974 to minimise risks to employees from excessive noise exposure. The Noise at Work Regulations 1989 were superseded by the European Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 to describe action levels at 80 and 85 dB(A) for daily personal noise exposure, and a peak action level of 135 dB(A). At these levels, the employer has a responsibility to conduct noise surveys and provide employees with hearing protection as well as regular hearing assessments and a programme of employee education. These actions are compulsory when noise levels reach ≥85 dB(A). Personal hearing protection can be in the form of earplugs or earmuffs; earmuffs are more reliable. Electronic active noise reduction (ANR) systems are effective but expensive and are most commonly used in military and aircraft environments.
Physical Recovery
Published in Stijn Geerinck, Reconstructing Identity After Brain Injury, 2022
I became more and more aware of my increasing vulnerability. When I was rehearsing with my band, for example, I almost sustained hearing loss in the only functional ear I had left. Ever since the accident, I had used ear plugs while practising. I was well aware that damage to my right ear would mean the irrevocable end of my life as I knew it. I would become deaf or hard-of-hearing and thus be unable to teach anymore, I would have to give up my hobby as a musician – a true doom scenario, especially after my previous ordeal. That fateful night, I had removed the plugs when the playing was over. Suddenly, the sound installation emitted an unexpected, ear-deafening bang, caused by the sound settings of the laptop that was connected to it. I feared the worst but got off with a fright.
Technical Tips: Keeping It Clean during COVID-19
Published in The Neurodiagnostic Journal, 2020
Anna M. Bonner, Petra Davidson
Consider implementing extra measures to reduce or prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other highly infectious diseases by keeping hand sanitizer, disinfectant, or alcohol wipes in your vehicle and wipe steering wheel, door handles and other items that you touch while driving before and after driving to and from work (Barry 2020). Pay special attention and frequently use extra cleaning methods for your mobile, wireless devices, and headphones/earplugs (Frey et al. 2019). Remove the outer layer of clothing, such as scrubs, socks, and shoes when arriving home after work. Wash clothing or keep in a separate bin from clothes to be washed later, clean/wipe shoes, especially bottom of shoes (or leave outside/in garage), and immediately shower after arriving home from work. According to the CDC, there is insufficient evidence that these extra steps are effective, and therefore are simply extra measures to consider for keeping yourself and loved ones safe (CDC 2020c, 2020h).
Use of a modified bubble continuous positive airway pressure (bCPAP) device for children in respiratory distress in low- and middle-income countries: a safety study
Published in Paediatrics and International Child Health, 2019
Ashley R. Bjorklund, Beatrice Odongkara Mpora, Marie E. Steiner, Gwenyth Fischer, Cynthia S. Davey, Tina M. Slusher
SEAL-bCPAP was constructed using inexpensive materials available in most LMIC. Materials included a simple nasal cannula, oxygen tubing, disposable water bottles, ‘superglue’, tape and commercial compressible ear-plugs (3 M™ tekk protection, Disposable Earplugs) (Figure 1(A)). The oxygen source was cylinder or concentrator. The nasal interface was modified by stretching a small cut ring of compressible ear-plug material over the end of each nasal prong and attaching it with superglue (Figure 1(B)). This material was pinched and held for a few seconds on the nasal prong. The prongs, with the compressed material, were slipped into the nares and allowed to expand to create a more occlusive intranasal seal. SEAL-bCPAP was designed to not rely on electricity or require intensive monitoring and cost about US$5. If needed, the apparatus could be cleaned and re-used, except the earplug material which was removed and replaced.
Method for protected noise exposure level assessment under an in-ear hearing protection device: a pilot study
Published in International Journal of Audiology, 2021
Vincent Nadon, Fabien Bonnet, Rachel E. Bouserhal, Antoine Bernier, Jérémie Voix
Another promising way of assessing adequate protection with HPDs is in-ear noise dosimetry (IEND) [1,19–21]. IENDs give a more accurate estimate of the residual noise level reaching the eardrum than regular noise dosimeters, which monitor noise levels outside the earcanal [22], because IENDs bypass the need for assumptions and correction factors for microphone placement. In addition, such an approach has also recently proven to raise awareness among workers as the noise exposure feedback helped them reduce their noise dose through more appropriate HPD use [23]. However, the SPL measured inside the earcanal may be affected by various wearer-induced disturbances (WID) [24] such as talking, coughing or chewing, as well as microphonics, which are amplified by the occlusion effect when wearing an earplug [25]. As a result, the earplug can increase the measured in-ear noise dose instead of reducing it. However, middle-ear mechanisms [9,10], such as the stapedial reflex and nervous system mechanisms [11], are known to be triggered by self-generated noises, such as chewing or speaking. These mechanisms attenuate the intensity with which these self-generated noises ultimately reach the inner ear [10]. Hence, IENDs would benefit from a method to isolate the contribution of such WIDs from the calculated in-ear noise dose to help reflect the real effects of noise exposure levels and duration on the auditory system and better understand why a given individual may seem overexposed based on the SPL measured inside the earcanal [26]. Yet, to this day, commercial IENDs do not feature this option which would be beneficial for future research on occupational hearing loss to properly model the relationship between noise exposure and hearing damage.