Biomedical subjects

John E King

Publications and source records attributed to John E King.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Use of neural response telemetry measures to objectively set the comfort levels in the Nucleus 24 cochlear implant.

Cochlear implant programming necessitates accurate setting of programming levels, including maximum stimulation levels, of all active electrodes. Frequently, clinical techniques are adequate for setting these levels; however, they are sometimes insufficient (e.g., very young children). In the Nucleus 24, several methods have been suggested for estimation of comfort levels (C levels) from neural response telemetry (NRT); however, many require co-application of clinical measurements. Data was obtained from 21 adult Nucleus 24 recipients to develop reliable predictions of C levels. Multiple regression analysis was performed on NRT threshold, slope of the NRT growth function, age, length of deafness, length of cochlear implant use and electrode impedance to examine predictive ability. Only the NRT threshold and slope of the growth function measures were significant predictors yielding R2 values from 0.391 to 0.769. Results demonstrated that these measures may provide an alternative means of estimating C levels when other clinical measures are unavailable.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Development of a vibrotactile tasking device for use in vestibular assessment.

The purpose of this study was to design an automated mental alerting task that could be utilized when performing vestibular testing on a broad range of patient populations, including certain difficult-to-test populations, such as the hard-of-hearing. A device was developed that utilized vibrotactile stimuli output to two vibrators placed on the subject's left leg, and responded to activation of two momentary pushbuttons controlled by the subjects. Fourteen normal-hearing subjects without history or symptoms of vestibular involvement participated. Each participant underwent three mental-alerting conditions, defined as no task, verbal task, or vibrotactile task. Each condition involved four irrigations of the ear canals, two with warm water and two with cool water. The resultant nystagmus was recorded and analyzed using four measures to compare the effect of the mental alerting task condition. No significant difference was found between verbal and vibrotactile alerting both of which provided better responses than the no alerting task (F=8.443; df=2,13; p=0.001). Between-subjects analysis showed that the number of gaps, which are undesirable periods of absent nystagmus during test recordings, was smallest for the verbal and vibrotactile tasks, and largest for the no task condition. Overall, the results showed that the vibrotactile tasking device (VTD) is an effective alternative means of providing mental alerting during vestibular testing, specifically that of caloric examination.

Communication Devices for People with Disabilities↗

PubMed2005

Facial nerve stimulation after cochlear implantation.

OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to compare the incidence and nature of facial nerve stimulation (FNS) in patients receiving cochlear implants (CI) manufactured by Cochlear Corporation, Advanced Bionics Corporation, and MedEl. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review at a tertiary referral center. METHODS: The charts of 600 patients who received CIs from 1993 to 2003 with at least 1 year of follow-up were reviewed for significant FNS (FNS on at least 1 channel at functional stimulation levels). Data collected included age, sex, etiology of deafness, device type, electrode, FNS onset after initial stimulation, number and location of electrode contacts causing FNS, and loudness level at which FSN occurred. Nucleus straight and perimodiolar electrodes were also compared. RESULTS: Thirty-nine of 600 (6.5%) patients had FNS on at least one channel, (MedEl 3 of 43 [7.0%], Nucleus 29 of 440 [6.6%], and Clarion 7 of 117 [6.0%]). The incidence of FNS in Nucleus perimodiolar electrodes (16 of 250 [6.4%]) was similar to straight electrodes (13 of 190 (6.8%]), as was the mean number of electrodes causing FNS per patient (11 vs. 12). However, straight electrodes caused stimulation at significantly softer perceived loudness levels than perimodiolar electrodes (P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: In this large series of CI FNS, the overall incidence of FNS is consistent with previous reports. All devices had a similar incidence of FNS, but perimodiolar electrodes produced FNS only at significantly higher loudness levels than straight electrodes, making them preferable for patients at risk for FNS receiving Nucleus devices.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

More than 56,000 children with disabilities in Tennessee.

Since 1990, Tennessee has been ranked among the states with a series of health and social difficulties. In addition, there are more than 56,000 children with disabilities in the state. In an effort to personalize these findings, the numbers of children with disabilities are presented by city, metropolitan area, county, and congressional districts. There are numerous difficulties associated with the delivery of dental care to these children with special needs. If all dentists were willing to help, however, each practitioner would need to care for twenty of these youngsters.

Adolescent↗