Tympany, LLC

Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary

Natus Medical, Inc.

Envoy Medical Corporation

Aaron R Thornton

Christopher Lyle Wasden

Jeffrey S Harrison

Barry Strasnick

Kenneth R Stott

Jeff Harrison

Johann J Neisz

Matthijs P Smits

Eric M Kraus

Jon Birck

Michael Glasscock

John F Kveton

Zezhang Hou

Method and system are disclosed for automated testing of a patient's hearing. The automated hearing test allows the patient to quickly and accurately test his own hearing. The patient is instructed and prompted for inputs and responses as needed. The patient and/or operator can select one or several tests to be performed, including air and bone conduction testing with masking, speech reception threshold, speech discrimination, tympanogram, acoustic reflex, and otoacoustic emissions testing. Stenger screening is automatically performed for some patients based on the difference in pure tone frequency air conduction thresholds. Multiple languages are supported. Data obtained from one test may be used for another test or another iteration of the same test to calculate masking levels. The automatic hearing test also detects and compensates for ambient noise in the test results. If a contingency occurs, the automated hearing test is configured to page the operator for assistance.

Stenger screening in automated diagnostic hearing test

Method and system are disclosed for automated testing of a patient's hearing. The automated hearing test allows the patient to quickly and accurately test his own hearing with minimal or no assistance from an audiologist or other hearing health professionals. The test prompts and instructs the patient for inputs and responses as needed. The patient can select one or several tests to be performed, including air and bone conduction testing with masking, speech reception threshold, speech discrimination, tympanogram, acoustic reflex, and otoacoustic emissions testing. Multiple languages are supported. Data obtained from one test may be used for another test or another iteration of the same test to calculate masking levels. The automatic hearing test also detects ambient noise and can compensate for it in the test results. If a contingency occurs, the automated hearing test is configured to page the operator for assistance.

Automated diagnostic hearing test

Systems and methods for conducting multiple diagnostic hearing tests are provided. The systems comprise an insertion probe for insertion into an ear of a patient, at least one transducer for providing test sounds to the ear of the patent through the insertion probe, and at least one transducer for transmitting test results from the ear of the patient. The systems are capable of conducting an audiometric test and at least one of an acoustic immittance test and an otoacoustic emission test. More preferably, the systems are capable of conducting an audiometric test, a tympanogram test, an acoustic reflex test, and an otoacoustic emission test using a single ear probe.

System and methods for conducting multiple diagnostic hearing tests

Methods and structures for placing sensing and driver assemblies in a middle ear of a patient are disclosed. Methods and structures according to various embodiments of the invention provide minimally invasive techniques and devices that facilitate placement of sensing/driver assemblies in a middle ear using a trans-canal implantation technique. Certain embodiments include placement of a longitudinal body through the ear canal for mounting in the middle ear, and for supporting a sensing/driving assembly subsequently coupled thereto.

Method and apparatus for minimally invasive placement of sensing and driver assemblies to improve hearing loss

Method and system are disclosed for automated testing of a patient's hearing. The automated hearing test allows the patient to quickly and accurately test his own hearing with minimal or no assistance from an audiologist or other hearing health professionals. The test prompts and instructs the patient for inputs and responses as needed as needed. The patient can select one or several tests to be performed, including air and bone conduction testing with masking, speech reception threshold, speech discrimination, and tympanogram/acoustic reflex testing. Multiple languages are supported. Data obtained from one test may be used for another test or another iteration of the same test to calculate masking levels. The automatic hearing test also detects ambient noise and can compensate for it in the test results. If a contingency occurs, the automated hearing test is configured to page the operator for assistance.

Speech discrimination in automated diagnostic hearing test

Patient management in automated diagnostic hearing test

Systems and methods for conducting hearing tests with real-time ambient noise measurement are provided. More particularly, one or more microphones are provided to measure ambient noise in a test area during a time interval in which hearing test tones are provided to the patient. By measuring ambient noise during the actual presentation of the test tones, or at least near in time thereto, a much better indication of the reliability of the hearing test is provided. Methods of conducting a hearing test are also provided that comprise presenting a test tone to a patient and simultaneously measuring the ambient noise in the test area during at least a portion of the presentation of the test tone.

System and methods for conducting multiple diagnostic hearing tests with ambient noise measurement

Determining masking levels in an automated diagnostic hearing test

A method for estimating an electrophysiologic response contained in a measured signal includes obtaining a plurality of samples and defining a plurality of bins, each of which corresponds to a range of values of a sorting parameter associated with each of the samples. Each sample of the measured signal is then classified into one of the bins on the basis of a value of a sorting parameter associated with that sample. Then, for each bin, a statistic indicative of samples classified into that bin is maintained. On the basis of these bin statistics, the desired electrophysiologic response can then be estimated.

Measurement of electrophysiologic response

An apparatus for bone conduction hearing testing is provided. The apparatus comprises a planar spring having opposed first and second elements to which are coupled, respectively, a bone conduction vibrator and an engagement element. The bone conduction vibrator contacts a first head portion, preferably the forehead, and the engagement element contacts a second head portion, preferably the rear of the head. The spring preferably has a lenticular shape, and may be either biconvex or D-shaped.

Apparatus for bone conduction threshold hearing test

A method for measuring an electrophysiologic response of a sensory system includes stimulating the sensory system with a first stimulus train having stimuli temporally separated from each other by a first inter-stimulus interval and simultaneously stimulating the sensory system with a second stimulus train having stimuli temporally separated from each other by a second inter-stimulus interval different from the first inter-stimulus interval. A response signal is then sampled at a first frequency corresponding to the first inter-stimulus interval, thereby obtaining a first response train. The first response train is then processed to suppress a contaminant caused by the second stimulus train.

Simultaneous stimulation of an auditory system

An apparatus and method for evaluation of hearing loss is disclosed. The apparatus and method use evoked Auditory Brainstem Responses (ABR) to determine if the subject is able to hear repeatedly administered click stimuli. In order to optimize evaluation, the present invention uses normative data to accurately weight the auditory responses, so that evaluation will be possible in different or changing noise conditions.

Hearing evaluation device with noise-weighting capabilities

A method of calculating a single number summarizing the performance of a device for transmitting, amplifying, or reproducing acoustic speech signals. The number can be used for evaluation and comparison of characteristics of devices for conveying speech, for instance to choose a hearing aid prescription. In the method, for each device of a plurality of acoustic devices, intelligibility measurements are obtained for speech signals transmitted from or reproduced by the device under multiple of listening conditions, and a weighted sum of the device's intelligibility measurements is formed. From among the plurality of devices, the one device best overall suited to the plurality of listening conditions is chosen by comparing the weighted sums and selecting the device with the largest corresponding weighted sum. The devices may be computer models of real acoustic devices; a plurality of the models are iteratively generated and the weighted sums corresponding to the computer models are evaluated, and modelled acoustic properties of successive ones of the computer models are altered to increase the weighted sum.

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West Des Moines, IA, United States of America

Aaron R Thornton