Non-Invasive System to Deliver Therapeutic Hypothermia for Protection Against Noise-Induced Hearing Loss
Restorear Devices LLC
Summary
The goal of this interventional clinical study is to investigate the use of mild therapeutic hypothermia devices for preservation of sensory structures in the cochlea after noise exposure. The main aims of the study are: 1. To test the safety and best duration for use for a new hypothermia device. 2. To determine if the hypothermia device helps decrease noise-induced hearing loss in a group of firefighters. Participants will wear the mild therapeutic hypothermia therapy devices immediately after a fire service shift serially over a year. Researchers will compare results from those receiving the therapy to those from a control group (individuals receiving no therapy and a sham therapy).
Description
Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is highly prevalent among occupationally at-risk service groups like the military and firefighters, with disabilities that result in significant healthcare burden, negatively impacting performance on duty and quality of life. Exposure to noise can cause permanent threshold shifts (PTS) with accompanying hair cell loss, or temporary threshold shifts (TTS), with no evident hair cell loss. Noise exposure can also result in rapid and permanent loss of synaptic elements and cochlear nerve terminals with irreversible hearing impairment and long-term degeneration of…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18–55 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: * Adults aged 18-55 years old at the time of signing the consent form * Fluency in English Exclusion Criteria: * Abnormal tympanometric findings * Abnormal pure tone audiometry from 500-8,000 Hz (Non-firefighters only) * Significant history of noise exposure (Non-firefighters only) * Temporomandibular joint disorder * Otologic pathologies (including, but not limited to): acoustic neuroma/vestibular schwannoma, chronic ear disease, Meniere's disease, documented fluctuating hearing loss, or ototoxicity * Current recipients of medical, pharmacologic, or therapeutic interven…
Interventions
- DeviceCold pack-delivered mild therapeutic hypothermia
Mild therapeutic hypothermia (cooling), delivered non-invasively to the structures of the inner ear (cochlea) for 30 minutes, using headband-style proprietary device, ReBoundRx.
Location
- University of MiamiMiami, Florida