Hearing Prosthesis Inner Ear Crisis Detection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current hearing prostheses lack the ability to monitor and predict inner ear crises in a automated or objective manner, leading to ineffective operation and potential exacerbation of issues, as they rely on regular clinical evaluations which are often hindered by cost, availability, and subtle or slow progression of changes.
Innovation Solution
A hearing prosthesis system with an integrated expert diagnosis system that analyzes inner ear potentials to identify crisis signatures, correlate them with clinical symptoms, and initiate remedial actions to address the crisis, including adjustments to stimulation settings and potential pharmacological interventions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If regular clinical evaluations are used to monitor inner ear crises, then diagnostic accuracy can be maintained, but the system requires frequent patient visits which increases loss of time and reduces ease of operation
Solution Approach 1:
The hearing prosthesis system performs self-diagnosis by automatically monitoring its own operational parameters and detecting inner ear crises through analysis of electrical signals from the inner ear, eliminating the need for frequent manual clinical evaluations while maintaining diagnostic accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors inner ear potentials and provides real-time feedback about the health status of the inner ear, automatically detecting crises and alerting clinicians only when necessary, thus reducing patient visit frequency while maintaining high diagnostic precision
2Reliability
If manual clinical monitoring is used, then detection of inner ear crises can be achieved, but the system lacks automation which reduces productivity and increases loss of time
Solution Approach 1:
The manual mechanical process of clinical evaluation is replaced with an automated electronic monitoring system that continuously analyzes electrical signals from the inner ear, significantly improving monitoring efficiency and productivity while maintaining reliable detection of crises
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically monitors itself without requiring external intervention, continuously analyzing its own operational data and detecting crises autonomously, thereby enhancing both reliability of detection and productivity of monitoring
3Reliability
If frequent clinical evaluations are conducted, then early detection of crises can occur, but the cost and complexity of the system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hearing prosthesis autonomously performs monitoring and detection functions that would otherwise require complex external clinical evaluation equipment, simplifying the overall system while enabling continuous early detection of inner ear crises
Solution Approach 2:
The hearing prosthesis is designed to perform multiple functions including both hearing assistance and inner ear crisis detection, eliminating the need for separate monitoring equipment and reducing overall system complexity while maintaining early detection capability
Data Source
AI summary
An expert diagnosis system integrated in a hearing prosthesis system is configured to diagnosis, grade, and remediate inner ear crises. In particular, the expert diagnosis system analyzes combinations of in-situ measured inner ear potentials, obtained in response to electrical and/or acoustic stimulation, in order to identify crisis signatures and to correlate those crisis signatures to clinical symptoms of a specific type and cause of an inner ear crises (i.e., automatically diagnosis the inner ear crisis). The expert system is further configured to grade the severity of the identified clinical symptoms and initiate some form of remedial action to address the identified inner ear crisis.