Audio-Vestibular Testing for Bedside/Other Applications

描述：（改编自申请人摘要）：一种潜在有效的方法 限制或预防药物引起的耳蜗和前庭耳毒性的方法是 治疗期间的监测。然而，实际的、具有成本效益的监测 由于不切实际的仪器，程序难以建立。电流 实践也往往忽视平衡系统。研究和技术 匹兹堡大学的研究人员利用最近开发的 听觉和前庭系统的客观测试。耳声发射 [OAEJ测试、仅头部旋转测试[霍特]和高频[HFI 听力测试成功转移到一个完全便携的平台， 第一阶段的床边测试正常和临床受试者样本的结果 似乎是有效和可靠的。通过进一步改进， 与企业合作伙伴Intelligent Hearing Systems合作， 重量轻，便携式，音频前庭测试系统推向市场。 拟议的第二阶段工作将把这些先进技术移植到笔记本电脑上 通过通用串行总线技术， 实现更大的设计能力/灵活性。此外，以下 对系统提出了以下改进：（1）加强耳探头 系统和相关硬件以实现改进的性能， 畸变产物耳声发射测试和测听，包括高频 通过相同的探头系统，两种测试模式的能力;（2）包含 视频红外眼电图技术，以取代眼电图， 提高可靠性和易用性;（3）实施多项创新 针对最终用户的故障安全和总体用户友好性。 这一新的“beta测试”（上市前）原型的性能将得到彻底的测试。 在正常对照和临床受试者的大量样品中进行测试。 拟定商业应用： 这项研究将制定便携式耳蜗和前庭功能测试的规范。结果将导致商业化生产的成本效益的仪器，如监测药物引起的耳毒性，甚至更广泛的应用与未来的发展。潜在的市场包括医院和其他保健设施。

DESCRIPTION: (Adapted from applicant's abstract): A potentially effective way of limiting or preventing drug-induced cochleo- and vestibulo-ototoxicity is monitoring during treatment. However, practical, cost-effective, monitoring programs are difficult to establish due to impractical instrumentation. Current practices also tend to neglect the balance system. Research and technology generated by University of Pittsburgh investigators utilizes recently developed objective tests of both auditory and vestibular systems. Otoacoustic emission [OAEJ testing, head-only rotation testing [HORT} and high-frequency [HFI audiometry were successfully transferred to a fully portable platform for bedside testing in Phase I. Results in samples of normal and clinical subjects appear to be valid and reliable. There is room for improvement via further collaboration with corporate partner, Intelligent Hearing Systems, to bring a light weight, portable, audio-vestibular test system to market. The Phase II work proposed will port these advancements to a notebook computer platform with peripheral interface via Universal Serial Bus technology to achieve greater capability/flexibility of design. In addition, the following improvements to the system are proposed: (1) enhancements of the ear-probe system and related hardware to achieve improved performance with distortion-product OAE testing and audiometry, including high frequency capabilities for both test modalities, via the same probe system; (2) inclusion of video-infrared oculography technology to replace electro-oculography for improved reliability and ease-of-use; (3) implementation of several innovations directed toward fail-safes for the end-user and overall user-friendliness. Performance of this new "beta-test" (pre-market) prototype will be thoroughly tested in substantial samples of normal-control and clinical subjects. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: The research will develop specifications for portable testing of cochlear and vestibular function. Results will lead to the commercial production of a cost-effective instrument for such applications as monitoring of drug-induced ototoxicity and even broader applications with future development. The potential market includes hospitals and other health care facilities.