Preparation Prior To Testing; Instruction Of The Patient; Visual Inspection Of The Ear Canal; Preparation Of The Skin - Interacoustics Eclipse Additional Information

Eclipse Additional Information
3.9

Preparation Prior to Testing

This description explains how to prepare for testing when performing measurements that requires the tradi-
tional electrode montage used for threshold examination, neuro latency examination, and etc. For a descrip-
tion of electrode placement that differs from the traditional ABR electrode montage please refer to the Quick
Guide provided with the software installation for the particular test.

3.9.1 Instruction of the patient

The quality of the recordings depends on the state of the patient. If the patient is not physically/mentally re-
laxed, you will get recordings that are dominated by noise. Therefore, to obtain reliable and valid test results,
it is crucial that the patient is well prepared for the test. Place the patient on a comfortable bed or a comforta-
ble chair. A sitting posture should be avoided due to contracted neck/head muscles. Small children may feel
more comfortable sitting on a parent's or nurse's lap. Show the eartips and electrodes to the patient and then
explain the following:
 The aim of the test is to test the function of the auditory nerve.
 The tip of the eartips will be inserted into the ear canal.
 The electrodes will be placed on your head (depends of selected test).
 One or more tones will be heard during the test.
 No participation is expected from the patient.

Instruct the patient to relax during testing. A sleeping state is preferred if possible.

Eyes must be closed.

3.9.2 Visual inspection of the ear canal

Check the external ear canal for wax with an otoscope and remove excessive wax to prevent the foam eartip
opening from clogging which will inhibit testing.

3.9.3 Preparation of the Skin

It is very important to clean the skin where the electrodes are to be placed in order to obtain acceptable elec-
trode impedance. Be sure not to apply the following procedure to patients for whom it is inappropriate.
Please follow normal clinical procedures for cleanliness and allergy precautions.
The electrode sites must be prepared to assure that the top layer of skin (epidermis) is cleaned and oil is re-
moved. This will ensure low skin impedance for the measurement. For this purpose a large variety of elec-
trode pastes can be purchased. Please note that two different types of electrode pastes exist: One which
rubs off the outer thin layer of the skin and another which is an electrically conductive paste used to adhere
the reusable electrodes. Only the first type can be used for skin preparation (you can feel the abrasive nature
of this type of paste when rubbing it between your fingers). The paste supplied with the unit is this type of
skin preparation paste.
Some clinicians prefer to clean off the paste with alcohol. This will also ensure a very clean area well suited
for the adhesive part of the electrode.
A good and thorough job of rubbing the skin with the paste might turn the skin a little red but will ensure good
impedance. The procedure is displayed below.
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