A deaf patient finds it especially difficult to communicate with their doctors in order to receive treatment or instructions. In addition, the family or paramedics often strip them of their hearing aid during hospital transfers or health care and cures, to facilitate patient management. This is why it is so important that we do not add the difficulty of deafness to the rest of the pathologies that he already suffers.

On many occasions we need to restore hearing and communication with your doctor, taking the measurement of the ear to fit a hearing aid in the hospital or at home. For this previously, silicone systems were used. We currently carry out the measurements using the portable laser scanner system.

This type of equipment is being implemented very quickly in audiologists' offices, replacing the previous silicone injected molds. But awareness of this advantage on the part of the rest of the health professionals who treat the patient is still low.

The evolution of ear measurement techniques for manufacturing molds and hearing aids is clearly marked by the abandonment of previous invasive silicone injection systems inside the canal, to make way for new measurement technologies with laser scanning. The Otoscan3D are non-invasive, clean systems with no risk of damage to the tympanic membrane due to silicones. Ear scanners are especially useful in cases of patients with epithelial hypersensitivity or detected allergies, with limited mobility or long hospital admissions. Being systems of reduced size and weight, they are transportable within the hospital or to the patient's home. They also avoid risks when there are tympanic perforations, risk of infections due to other associated pathologies or conditions of medical sedation and are also applied in Anaplastology.

Angel Barbero-Rodriguez is Audiology Coordinator at Audiocenter Sevilla. He studied Audiology in the Courses of the University of Alcalá de Henares-London College and also graduated in Barcelona. He has given conferences in various Latin American and European countries and publishes in health and hearing aid sector magazines. He mentors the Audiology Exchange Program for young audiologists in Seville and promotes the Liga Audiológica Internacional and is a member and lecturer at the Natus Hearing and Balance Academy He is specialized in 3D Hearing Scanners, on which he has published various papers, among others:

State of the art and future trends on the measurements of the patient ?s ear in the audiologic and anaplastology implementation of new technologies of 3D inside the canal auditory scanners. 

What Did We Learn About OTOSCAN3D During 2019?

Using the 3D ear scanner: Seven practical tips to remember if you are an audiologist and manage patients with Otoscan ENT Open.

eSeminar Hearing&Balance Academy: "Otoscan3D: The current tool to improve your daily practice".