Otoacoustic emissions and other ear check equipment for audiologist and otologists

While age-related hearing loss is the most prevalent, various factors can contribute to hearing impairment across all age groups. Broadly speaking, hearing loss can be categorized into below three categories:  

  

Sensorineural Hearing Loss: It occurs when the inner ear or the actual hearing nerve is damaged. This type of hearing loss occurs when some hair cells present with the inner ear, or cochlea, are damaged. This is one of the most common types of hearing loss that can occur due to ageing, exposure to loud sound, use of certain drugs, and inherited conditions. The hearing loss condition can be ascertained by audiologist or ear specialist with the help of an appropriate ear check equipment, and surgically treatable. Sudden sensorineural hearing loss may occur within a few days. It is imperative to see and otologist delay in treating this condition will decrease the possibility of medications giving the right impact.   

  

Conductive Hearing Loss: This type of hearing loss affects the middle ear, where sound waves encounter obstacles preventing smooth transmission to the inner ear. This results in blockage of sound due to the presence of earwax or a foreign object located in the ear canal. Additionally, the middle ear may be impacted due to the presence of fluid, a bone abnormality, infection, or injury to the eardrum. This type of hearing loss is most common in children who have recurrent ear infections.   

  

Mixed Hearing Loss. Sometimes, people may experience hearing loss due to a combination of sensorineural and conductive hearing losses. They may have sensorineural hearing loss first, and then develop conductive hearing loss in addition. Audiologists will conduct hearing testing, such as otoacoustic emissions (OAE), with the help of an appropriate ear check equipment, to determine the type and extent of hearing loss, and then determine the right approach for treatment. Otoacoustic test is used to find out how well your inner ear or cochlea is working. Otoacoustic emissions are sounds given off by your inner ear when responding to a sound. This sound is created by hair cells present in the inner ear that respond to sound by vibrating. These vibrations produce a quiet sound that echoes back to the inner ear. Otoacoustic emissions are measured with the help of appropriate ear check equipment by the doctor. OAEs are produced by a normal ear, but if your hearing loss is greater than 25-30 db, you will not produce these very soft OAE sounds.   

  

A variety of ear check equipment   

For the practices in need of hearing check equipment, like otoacoustic emissions, audiometers, visual screener, and tympanometer, Sonic Equipment has come up with some of the best devices from the top brands in Australia. Some of the otoacoustic emissions ear check equipment that you can order from Sonic Equipment are:  

  

GSI Corti: This portable, battery-operated diagnostic and screening ear check equipment measures otoacoustic emissions in infants, children, and adults. Meeting all recommended hearing screening protocols, the device gives audiologists the ability to rapidly screen newborns and perform diagnostic OAE testing. The simple operations device has flexible protocols and comes with cradle convenience.   

 

GSI Novus: This sleek and handheld comprehensive newborn screener is easy to operate and provides you with consistently accurate results. The ear check equipment features a touch-screen display, intuitive software in a compact hardware design, and a long-lasting battery.  The Novus may be configured with any combination of auditory brainstem response (ABR), and otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE, and DPOAE), which allows for seamless two-stage infant hearing screening. The ear check equipment is also equipped with HearSIM data management software, allowing clinicians to track patients, export information, and coordinate follow-up testing.   

  

Maico Easyscreen: This sleek and portable device fits right into your pocket, and helps you save time with its binaural automated ABR screening to test both ears at the same time. The integrated CE-Chirp stimulus generates accurate pass or refer results within seconds. This ABR and OAE testing device is easy to operate and allows even first-time users to achieve the most accurate results, thanks to its intuitive, on-screen guidance.   

  

If you are looking for more choices in ear check equipment, then you can choose from many types of Audiometers available at Sonic Equipment, such as Amplivox 116. This cost-effective and easy-to-use screening audiometer provides you with hearing results within seconds. The lightweight and robust design of this ear check equipment is just right for any audiologist who travels to conduct pure tone, warble, and continuous hearing tests. Amplivox 102-C is a handheld tympanometer available at Sonic Equipment, that can successfully measure tympanometry and acoustic reflexes with a live tymp display. The ear check equipment also helps to identify other ear conditions, like perforated eardrum, otitis media, and cholesteatomas.