Análisis de la potencia de salida y del rendimiento auditivo de los dispositivos auditivos osteointegrados / Power output and hearing performance in osseointegrated auditory devices

Antecedentes y objetivos: Los dispositivos auditivos osteointegrados utilizan la transmisión del sonido por vía ósea para producir una mejoría auditiva. Los mecanismos y factores que intervienen en esta transmisión han sido ampliamente estudiados, sin embargo, existen otros aspectos que no conocemos, por ejemplo, la influencia que tiene la potencia de salida del procesador. El objetivo principal de este estudio fue conocer si existe alguna relación entre la potencia que emiten estos dispositivos y la mejoría auditiva que producen. Materiales y métodos: Hemos realizado un estudio en 44 pacientes portadores de un Baha® 5 percutáneo. De cada paciente se obtuvieron los umbrales de vía aérea y ósea en audiometría tonal liminar, en audiometría en campo libre, y en audiometría verbal en silencio y con ruido de fondo, tanto previa como posteriormente a la implantación. También se recogieron los umbrales de conducción ósea directa a través del procesador y los valores de ganancia en la potencia de salida del procesador. (AU)

Background and objective: Osseointegrated auditory devices are hearing gadgets that use the bone conduction of sound to produce hearing improvement. The mechanisms and factors that contribute to this sound transmission have been widely studied, however, there are other aspects that remain unknown, for instance, the influence of the processor power output. The aim of this study was to know if there is any relationship between the power output created by the devices and the hearing improvement that they achieve. Materials and methods: Forty-four patients were implanted with a percutaneous Baha® 5 model. Hearing thresholds in pure tone audiometry, free-field audiometry, and speech recognition (in quiet and in noise) were measured pre and postoperatively in each patient. The direct bone conduction thresholds and the power output values from the processors were also obtained. (AU)

Clinical Performance Assessment of a New Active Osseointegrated Implant System in Mixed Hearing Loss: Results From a Prospective Clinical Investigation.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of a new active osseointegrated bone-conduction hearing implant in moderate to severe mixed-hearing loss. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective observational study of a series of cases. SETTING: Tertial referral center. PATIENTS: Twenty patients with moderate mixed-hearing loss were evaluated (10 Cochlear Osia group and 10 Baha 5 Power Connect -control group). INTERVENTION: Rehabilitative. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Hearing performance in quiet and in noise and quality-of-life were evaluated. RESULTS: Improvements in audibility, speech-understanding, speech-recognition, and quality-of-sound in noise and quiet were found for the Osia System compared with preoperative unaided hearing and performance was similar to that obtained with Baha 5 Power Connect. CONCLUSIONS: The new active transcutaneous bone conduction system provided a tonal improvement in free-field at middle and high frequencies. The performance in speech recognition in quiet and in noise was similar to control group outcomes.

Lessons from healthcare utilization in children with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. / Aprendiendo de la demanda asistencial en el síndrome de apnea del sueño infantil.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Paediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnoea-Hypopnoea Syndrome (OSAS) is a multisystemic condition affecting child's health status that may be investigated analyzing demand for healthcare. OBJECTIVE: to quantify the frequency of medical consultations in children with OSAS over a 5-year period, compared to a healthy population. METHODS: A longitudinal, case-control, ambispective study was conducted at a hospital pertaining to the national public health system. 69 consecutive children referred for OSAS were recruited with no diseases other than OSAS so that healthcare demand was purely attributed to this condition. Matched healthy control children were selected to compare these data. Data regarding frequency of the medical consultations were obtained over 5 years: the year of the treatment ("Year0"), 1 and 2 years before ("Year -1" and "Year -2" respectively), and 1 and 2 years after treatment ("Year+1" and "Year+2") RESULTS: Frequentation Index (FI), as ratio between the use of health services by OSAS children and healthy controls was 1.89 during Year-2, and 2.15 during Year-1 (P<.05). Treatment diminishes utilization, with FI of 159 during year+1 and 1.72 during year+2 (P<.05). The main causes of attendance were otolaryngological and pneumological diseases, improving after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Children suffering from OSAS demand more healthcare services, at least 2 years before treatment, implying that the disease could be present years before we manage it. Therapeutic actions improve healthcare services utilization, although remain higher than for controls, which suggests OSAS sequelae or residual disease.

[Considerations on acute otitis externa for its optimized treatment]. / Consideraciones sobre la otitis externa aguda para un tratamiento optimizado.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the optimal treatment for diffuse acute otitis externa (DAOE) by means of a new staging system based on clinical and otoscopic findings. METHODS: Monitoring of otitis cases diagnosed at our Centre over the last 21 months (n=1,026), taking into account those who returned for a second visit, either via the emergency service or with a prior appointment. Staging of otitis externa by degree of obstruction of the external auditory canal (EAC): under 25% (type I, n=174); between 25% and 75% (type II; n=277); over 75% (type III; n=359); total obstruction due to organized oedema (type IV; n=216). RESULTS: In most cases at an advanced stage, the canal was cleared by aspiration and placement of gauze or cellulose sponges. Ototopical drops were chosen in more than 95% of cases in every group, but anti-inflammatory and systemic antibiotic agents were administered in significantly larger amounts to patients in stages III and IV. Stage IV showed a statistically significant increase in the percentage of second visits. These manoeuvres improved pain, fullness and otorrhea significantly faster in stages I and II. CONCLUSIONS: Staging of otitis allows comparisons of the level of involvement and treatment recommendations: aspiration is advisable in stages II, III and IV; placement of a wick inside the canal is necessary in stages III and IV. Ototopical drops seem to be needed in every case and systemic antibiotics almost only in stage IV. Acidifying agents and topic glycerine vehicles access the canal better than aqueous solutions and would be the first choice in advanced stages.