Mechanisms and Mitigation of Hearing Loss from Blast Injury
Abstract
Studies have been performed aimed at an improved biomechanical understanding of blast injury with the goal of creating new technologies for the mitigation of acoustic trauma. Fiber optic pressure sensors were used to measure pressures in cadaveric specimens during blast events. external auditory canal (EAC) pressure profiles were measured and correlated with intracranial pressure profiles. A shock tubes was used to produce blast waves and response pressures measured in acoustic manikins and cadaver heads. A portable, compact system was developed to recreate observed blast pressure profiles in human temporal bones. Ossicular displacements from simulated blast events were recorded with a scanning laser doppler vibrometer and compared with those predicted by an existing auditory injury model. Measured displacements and velocities of the ossicular chain were found to exceed predicted values for extremely high pressures and long durations characteristic of blast events. Future activities will assess the feasibility of mitigating acoustic injury in real time using an implantable system with a sensor and actuator.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2011
- Accession Number
- ADA612597
Entities
People
- J.R. Easter