segunda-feira, 23 de abril de 2012

Bionic Hearing

According to WHO data, hearing loss affects over 15 million people in Brazil
Stock Photos, Divulgação  / 
Cochlear implant is an electronic computerized equipment, which stimulates the auditory nerve via electrical impulses
Photo: Stock Photos, Disclosure
Listen to music, watch the birds singing or listening to the sounds that permeate daily life seems to be trivial and common to all, but some people are not born with this privilege or lose later in life. According to the Brazilian Society of Otology, every thousand children born in the country, three to five have hearing loss.
- Hearing problems can also be caused by exposure to loud noise, degenerative diseases and infections - ENT says Rita Guimarães Cassou, who is also otoneurologists and master in surgery UFPR.
According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), hearing loss affects over 15 million people in Brazil. The hearing is one of several existing techniques to restore hearing, but does not solve all cases.
- Some people suffer from severe or total deafness and hearing aid is not sufficient to correct the problem. For more serious situations, after undergoing a rigorous evaluation process, it is recommended a cochlear implant, also known as the bionic ear - clarifies.
The cochlear implant is a computerized electronic equipment, which stimulates the auditory nerve via electrical impulses. It is surgically implanted in the patient and is considered more advanced use today for the treatment of deafness.
- Small electrodes are implanted in the cochlea, organ of hearing located in the inner ear and stimulates the production of signals to the brain. The bionic ear is a sophisticated device with complex technology and brings good results - points.
Two units comprise the cochlear implant - the internal and external. The inside has the electrodes, which will connect to a receiver located in the region behind the ear, which also is surgically implanted under the skin. With the receiver is also put an antenna and a magnet.
- The magnet is used to secure the unit outside the patient's head and the antenna has the function to receive the electrical signals. The receiver acts as a decoder of signals - highlights the otolaryngologist.
The external drive is the visible part of the implant and consists of a transmitting antenna, a microphone and speech processor. The microphone used to capture ambient sound and transmit to the speech processor, which in turn analyzes the sound and transforms it into electrical impulses that are sent to the transmitting antenna.
- The antenna transmits the signal until it reaches the internal drive. There the signal is decoded and sent to the electrodes, which will stimulate the auditory nerve. This stimulus is interpreted by the brain as sound and the patient recovers part of the hearing - he explains.
The results depend on the history of each patient. Children who are born deaf should be deployed as early as possible, since they have great results while adults over 10 years of deafness reach intermediate results.
- Patients with neurological diseases or syndromes with malformed cochlea normally present results somewhat lower. Remember that other factors determine the success or failure of treatment and assessment of patients' expectations and speech rehabilitation after implantation which shows that each individual should be evaluated by an interdisciplinary team - notes.

What is Hearing Loss

What is Hearing Loss
Millions of people all over the world suffer from hearing loss. Some were born with it and some develop it with age or through some type of accident. The terms most commonly used to when referring to hearing loss are "deaf" and "hearing impaired". There are different levels and degrees of hearing loss: Some will result with no sound at all and some types may leave you with only partial deafness, such as reduced hearing or difficulty hearing in only one ear.
Thanks to today's technology and medical development, hearing impairment is no longer a tragedy... as it was in the past. We now have high-powered hearing aids; new advances in speech therapy; advanced medication and an overall better support by all sectors of the community.
Of course, there is still work to be done and there needs to be a greater comprehension of the impact hearing loss has - not only on the individual- but also on the immediate circle of friends and family.
Hearing Loss is not a condition that one should deal with alone by themselves : it requires support from friends and family.
First and foremost, it needs to be identified: You can't begin to solve a hearingloss issue unless you know you suffer from it. Secondy, as much as solutions are readily available, implementing them requires time, patience and effort. Nevertheless there has been tremendous improvement in the past 25 years. In fact some people who are deaf are now actually able to speak almost perfectly. There are surgeries now available that can actually reverse hearing loss in certain people.
Hearing loss does not have to be a tragedy, many people live with hearing loss and lead full, rich lives at their jobs and at home with families. There are some famous people who have experienced hearing loss such as Helen Keller; she is the most famous deaf person in history. Marlee Matlin the actress, she is a working actress as well as an award wining actress.
Hearing loss doesn’t mean the end of the world. It only means you need to take care of it, to look at the options available to you and take action.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=jtQkJMxgrWs 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtQkJMxgrWs&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=34cU3HO_hEA 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=vhnLYzlafhA

domingo, 18 de março de 2012

Child hearing test - Audiology at the University of Canterbury

Demonstration of a child audiometric assessment (hearing test) carried out at the Speech and Hearing Clinic of the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. For information about becoming an Audiologist, seehttp://www.cmds.canterbury.ac.nz/ 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSZLqsOxhGg 

Adult hearing test - Audiology at the University of Canterbury

Demonstration of an adult audiometric assessment (hearing test) carried out at the Speech and Hearing Clinic of the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. For information about becoming an Audiologist, see http://www.cmds.canterbury.ac.nz/ 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u9Ja4wyUaU 

HEARING TEST

Set your volume to regular settings, as if you were watching any YouTube movie. Watch Hearing Test and listen very carefully using headphones. The video displays audio frequencies that are being played. You can determine what you can or what you cannot hear. Typically, depending on age, audible frequencies will be between 20-30 Hertz on the low side of the audio spectrum, and 10-16 kiloHertz on the high side of the audio spectrum. There are individuals, however, who can can hear the whole spectrum between 16 Hz (Hertz) and 20 kHz (kiloHertz). Because of the encoding used during the audio preparation, tests above 18 kHz are not very reliable.
Please make sure that you do not increase the volume just to see if you can hear anything! 



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G60hM1W_mk