73 results about "External Ear Canals" patented technology

A device and method for treating maladies, particularly of the external ear canal and eardrum, is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment the device comprises an earplug or plug and a delivery bulb that holds treatment fluid. A lumen extends through the earplug and connects the delivery bulb to an orifice located at the distal end of the earplug. A one-way valve is located along the lumen to allow treatment fluid to only flow from the delivery bulb to the orifice and not vice versa. The earplug forms a seal with the patient's external ear canal and, combined with the one-way valve, retains treatment fluid in the patient's external ear canal where it can perform its therapeutic function. In one embodiment, the invention includes a collection bag connected through the earplug to an orifice near the distal end of the earplug to collected waste treatment fluid. The therapeutic method comprises using a device, as disclosed herein, to deliver treatment fluids to the patient's external ear canal for irrigation, for the therapeutic benefit of the treatment fluids for the short and long term or to deliver treatment fluid to a patient's external ear canal where it can pass into the patient's middle ear through a tympanostomy tube placed in the patient's eardrum.

A soft-solid ear piece is formed to fit the typical human ear canal and will self form to fill the ear cavity by having an internal structure, endoskeleton, or bladder to expand to precisely fit the ear piece securely and comfortably in the ear canal. This self forming ear piece will enable ready-ware and custom molded hearing aids, hearing protectors, audio ear pieces, cell phone ear pieces and assistive listening devices to fit comfortably, securely, and free of acoustic feedback in the external ear canal. It creates an acoustic seal to optimally reduce peripheral leakage and intermodulation distortion delivering excellent acoustic performance while keeping environmental sounds blocked out.

The present invention relates to a digital hearing aid, which models the structures of external ear canals, sizes and shape characteristics of which differ between respective persons, obtains resonance gains generated due to the structural characteristics of the external ear canals, and performs digitization and signal processing to allow the resonance gains to be used as the gain factors of the digital hearing aid, and thus applies the gain factors to digital signal processing units. Further, the present invention proposes a gain obtainment unit capable of taking both resonance gains, generated due to the structural characteristics, and gains, obtained through a hearing test, into account, thus reducing the time required for gain fitting and possible errors, and optimizing the performance of the digital hearing aid for each individual.

A hearing aid which achieves a comfortable feeling to use while preventing generation of howling includes a microphone for converting an environmental sound to an electric signal, a hearing aid processor for hearing aid processing of an output signal of the microphone, an earphone for converting an output signal of the hearing aid processor to a sound signal, an external ear canal microphone converting a sound within an external ear canal to an electric signal, and an adaptive filter for comparing an output signal of the external ear canal microphone and the output signal of the hearing aid processor to automatically adjust the output signal of the hearing aid processor in such a manner that the output signal of the external ear canal microphone approaches the output signal of the hearing aid processor. The output signal of the hearing aid processor functions as an input signal and a desired signal of the adaptive filter, and the output signal of the external ear canal microphone functions as a response signal of the adaptive filter.

An ear inspection device configured for being at least partially introduced into an external ear canal for determining an ear condition, such as temperature, in particular at the subject's eardrum, wherein the device comprises an infrared sensor unit configured for detecting infrared radiation from the ear, and an electronic imaging unit configured for capturing images based on radiation in the visible range from the ear, wherein the electronic imaging unit exhibits at least one optical axis arranged such that it can be radially offset within the ear canal, and wherein the infrared sensor unit exhibits a visual axis arranged such that it can be positioned centrically within the ear canal or radially offset within the same semicircle, especially the same quadrant, of the cross section of the ear canal.

An external ear canal pressure regulation device including a fluid flow generator and an earpiece having a first axial earpiece conduit fluidicly coupled to the fluid flow generator, whereby the earpiece has a compliant earpiece external surface configured to sealably engage an external ear canal as a barrier between an external ear canal pressure and an ambient pressure.

A method for external ear canal pressure regulation to alleviate one or more symptoms associated with a disorder or treat one or more disorders, the method including providing a fluid transfer device which generates a fluid flow of a fluid through an earplug, the earplug having an earplug external surface configured to sealably engage an external ear canal wall as a barrier between an external ear canal pressure and an ambient pressure; sealably engaging the earplug of the fluid transfer device with the external ear canal wall as the barrier between the external ear canal pressure and the ambient pressure; and operating the fluid transfer device to generate the fluid flow of the fluid through the earplug to achieve an external ear canal pressure differential between the external ear canal pressure and the ambient pressure effective to alleviate a disorder symptom or treat a disorder.

An atmospheric pressure adjustment apparatus is disclosed. The atmospheric pressure adjustment apparatus comprises: a speaker; a microphone; an earplug of which a main body is made of an elastic material so as to seal the external auditory meatus when the earplug is worn on the ear of a user, and which comprises an atmospheric pressure adjustment part penetrating the main body; and atmospheric pressure adjustment device for adjusting the fluid volume of the atmospheric pressure adjustment part; and a processor for outputting a sound through the speaker when the earplug is worn, measuring the air pressure difference between the middle ear internal atmospheric pressure and the external auditory meatus atmospheric pressure of the user on the basis of the strength of a received echo when the echo of the sound reflected from the eardrum of the user is received through the microphone, and adjusting the atmospheric pressure difference by moving the atmospheric pressure adjustment device according to the measured atmospheric pressure difference.

A holder capable of holding a comparatively large external load with the aid of the external ear canal or the external ear. Protrusions of which is inserted into a first curve of an external ear canal are provided at one end of a holding arm, and a hole capable of holding an external load is formed in the other end of the holding arm. A protrusion supporter provided with the protrusions is rotatably attached in a hole formed in one end of a holding arm, and one of the protrusions is inserted in the first curve of the external ear canal, enabling the other end of the holding arm to hold an external load. Further, the positions and angles of the protrusions are made arbitrarily adjustable to thereby provide the holder.

A composition for topical application to the human external ear canal and nasal membranes for relief from symptoms of inflamation and infections and prophylaxis of sexually transmitted diseases the incoporates L-Ascorbic acid in a concentration of about 2% to about 25% wt/vol., within an acidic range or pH level of about 4.0 to 2.0 pH respectively, in an aqueous solution with a pharmaceutically acceptable liquid carrier. The liquid carrier in alternative exemplary embodiments is pure distilled water or normal 0.9% physiologic saline, pH adjusted in a pre determined composition for the desired therapeutic effect. The liquid carrier in alternative exemplary embodiments is pure distilled water or normal 0.9% physiologic saline, depending upon the preferred degree of absorption and bioavailability to the host tissues of the active ingredients in the novel invention. This may include sodium chloride as the preferred Sea Salt—which by analysis contains 99% sodium chloride and calcium, magnesium, sulphate, iron, and copper minerals. Additionally, the composition in alternative embodiment includes a synergistic antioxidant and further incorporates zinc gluconate in certain embodiments. The method for topical application of the composition includes drops, a rinse, cream, gel or saturated wick.

The invention relates to the technical field of medicine, and discloses an ear canal cleaning device for otorhinolaryngology nursing. The device comprises a column body, a handle, an annular ear digging rail and an adjusting rod I, wherein the annular ear digging rail is arranged on the adjusting rod I; the adjusting rod I internally sleeves an adjusting rod II; the adjusting rod II freely slidesleft and right in the adjusting rod I; the adjusting rod I is connected to an adjusting rod III through a pulley, so that the adjusting rod I can rotate along with the inner ring of the pulley; the adjusting rod III is provided with a gear, and is connected to the column body through a turntable with a circular gear; the turntable and the adjusting rod II are rotated to achieve the effects of moving the annular ear digging rail and rotating the annular ear digging rail; the gear adjustment is small in movement amplitude, is convenient, and reduces the damage to the inner ear canal; fans are arranged at the opening of the column body, and the upper and lower air ports are designed to incline towards the column body; and by utilizing different blowing directions of the upper and lower fans,the annular air flow which goes out upwards and returns downwards is achieved so as to clean the external ear canal better.

Otitis externa is a condition of the outer ear canal in mammalian animals, especially dogs and cats, marked by inflammation and infection of tissue, buildup of ear wax, and draining of ear exudate. Symptoms of infection are, among others, excessive cerumen, alopecia in the ear flap, crusts, and ear pruritis. Typical causes of otitis externa are fungi, bacteria, and mites. A medicating mixture in accordance with the invention, comprising cold-pressed citrus oil, deionized water, and, optionally, hydrolysates of milk proteins, when applied topically to an infected ear canal can produce significant reduction in symptoms. In a clinical study, 95% of an infected population of dogs were normalized without other or further treatment.

A packaged kit for treating keratosis obturans includes a plurality of ear needles having different shaped absorbent applicators on distal ends of the needles, a vial of a single dose of an otologic formulation of mitomycin-C, and a diluent carrier syringe containing sterilized water. The component parts of the kit are used together to reconstitute the contents of the vial with the water in the diluent carrier syringe. A selected one of the plurality of ear needles is then communicated with the syringe. The syringe and needle are then used to inject the reconstituted drug into the absorbent pad at the end of the needle, and the absorbent pad containing the drug is used to apply the drug to the surface of the external ear canal.