Prevention of ICU-acquired infection with decontamination regimen in immunocompromised patients: a pre/post observational study.

Purpose: Although the proportion of immunocompromised patients admitted to the ICU is increasing, data regarding specific management, including acquired infection (ICU-AI) prophylaxis, in this setting are lacking. We aim to investigate the effect of multiple-site decontamination regimens (MSD) in immunocompromised patients.

Methods: We conducted a prospective pre-/post-observational study in 2 ICUs in Bretagne, western France.

Multiple-site decontamination in mechanically ventilated ICU patients: A real-life study.

Introduction: Decontamination regimen decreases acquired infection (ICU-AI) incidence but has remained controversial, mostly because it contains a course of intravenous antibiotic. Multiple-site decontamination (MSD), which does not include systemic antibiotics, has been less widely studied but is associated with lower risks of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), bloodstream infection (BSI) and multidrug resistant micro-organism (MDRO) acquisition. We aimed to confirm these favorable outcomes.

Prevention of acquired invasive fungal infection with decontamination regimen in mechanically ventilated ICU patients: a pre/post observational study.

Background: Invasive fungal infections acquired in the intensive care unit (AFI) are life-threating complications of critical illness. However, there is no consensus on antifungal prophylaxis in this setting. Multiple site decontamination is a well-studied prophylaxis against bacterial and fungal infections.

Speech understanding in diffuse steady noise in typically hearing and hard of hearing listeners.

Spatial cues can facilitate segregation of target speech from maskers. However, in clinical practice, masked speech understanding is most often evaluated using co-located speech and maskers (i.e.

Relationship between Behavioral and Objective Measures of Sound Intensity in Normal-Hearing Listeners and Hearing-Aid Users: A Pilot Study.

Background: For hearing-impaired individuals, hearing aids are clinically fit according to subjective measures of threshold and loudness. The goal of this study was to evaluate objective measures of loudness perception that might benefit hearing aid fitting. Method: Seventeen adult hearing aid users and 17 normal-hearing adults participated in the study.

Emotional prosody perception in presbycusis patients after auditory rehabilitation.

Objective: Perception of emotion plays a major role in social interaction. Studies have shown that hearing loss and aging degrade emotional recognition. The main aim of the present study was to evaluate the benefit of first-time hearing aids (HA) for emotional prosody perception in presbycusis patients.

Development of cortical auditory responses to speech in noise in unilaterally deaf adults following cochlear implantation.

Background: For patients with single-sided deafness (SSD), restoration of binaural function via cochlear implant (CI) has been shown to improve speech understanding in noise. The objective of this study was to investigate changes in behavioral performance and cortical auditory responses following cochlear implantation.

Design: Prospective longitudinal study.

Cortical auditory responses according to hearing rehabilitation in unilateral hearing loss.

Objective: To assess the impact of rehabilitation systems (CROS: Contralateral Routing of Signal; BAHA: Bone-Anchored Hearing Aid; CI: cochlear implant) on cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEP) and auditory performance in unilateral hearing loss.

Subjects And Method: Twenty-one adults with unilateral hearing loss, using CROS (n=6), BAHA (n=6) or CI (n=9), were included. Seven normal-hearing subjects served as controls.

Binaural Perception in Single-Sided Deaf Cochlear Implant Users with Unrestricted or Restricted Acoustic Hearing in the Non-Implanted Ear.

Cochlear implantation (CI) can benefit patients with single-sided deafness (SSD) in terms of sound localization, speech understanding in noise, tinnitus severity, and quality of life (QoL). In previous studies, CI outcomes have been largely reported for SSD patients with normal "unrestricted" hearing in the contralateral ear. However, SSD patients may often have some degree of hearing loss in the contralateral ear ("restricted" acoustic hearing).

Cortical reorganization after cochlear implantation for adults with single-sided deafness.

Background: Adults with single sided deafness (SSD) have lost binaural function, which limits sound source localization, speech understanding in noise, and quality of life. For SSD patients, restoration of bilateral auditory input is possible only with a cochlear implant (CI). In this study, cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) and behavioral performance were measured in left-implanted (SSD-CI-L) and right-implanted (SSD-CI-R) patients before and after cochlear implantation.

Assessment of auditory discrimination in hearing-impaired patients.

Hearing loss can impair auditory discrimination, especially in noisy environments, requiring greater listening effort, which can impact socio-occupational life. To assess the impact of hearing loss in noisy environments, clinicians may use subjective or objective methods. Subjective methods, such as speech audiometry in noise, are used in clinical practice to assess reported discomfort.

[Adult deafness: Towards new paradigm].

Screening and early treatment of deafness regardless of age is essential. Deafness leads to social isolation, depression, and decreased cognitive function. The diagnosis requires an otoscopy and a confirmation of the type and degree of deafness by audiometry.

Validation of the French-language version of the OTOSPEECH automated scoring software package for speech audiometry.

Objectives: To validate a novel speech audiometry method using customized self-voice recorded word lists with automated scoring.

Patients And Methods: The self-voice effect was investigated by comparing results with prerecorded or self-recorded CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) word lists. Then customized lists of 3-phoneme words were drawn up using the OTOSPEECH software package, and their scores were compared to those for reference lists.