Effect of white noise reduction earplugs combined with eye mask on sleep quality of ICU patients / 中国实用护理杂志

Objective:To investigate the effect of white noise reduction earplugs combined with eye mask on the sleep quality of ICU patients.Methods:A total of 136 patients who were hospitalized in the ICU ward of the Second People′s Hospital of Liaocheng from April to November 2019 were selected and divided into 3 groups according to the random number table method. Group 1 (3M earplug + eye mask, 45 cases), group 2 (white noise reduction earplug + eye mask, 46 cases), and group 3 (control group, 45 cases). On the first night after enrollment, all patients were given routine care only. On the second and third nights, group 1 was given 3M ear plugs and eye masks, group 2 was given white noise reduction earplugs and eye masks, and group 3 was given routine care only. On the morning of the second and fourth day, patients′ baseline Richards Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ), Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) scores were assessed.Results:After the intervention, the sleep depth, sleep latency, wake at night, return to sleep, sleep quality, nocturnal subjective noise perception and total score in RCSQ in group 1 were (55.98 ± 19.65), (57.66 ± 19.56), (55.68 ± 16.25), (58.17 ± 11.32), (60.54 ± 16.33), (60.65 ± 12.58), (57.60 ± 17.21) respectively, in group 2 were (56.65 ± 18.36),(61.33 ± 20.33), (65.35 ± 23.22), (60.36 ± 19.35), (63.78 ± 20.36), (66.56 ± 10.21) and (61.49 ± 17.52), in group 3 were (45.96 ± 17.79), (48.36 ± 13.65), (48.21 ± 13.49), (51.36 ± 13.65), (51.33 ± 16.45), (43.06 ± 17.15) and (49.04 ± 15.32). There were statistically significant differences in each dimension and its total scores among the three groups (F values were 4.33-8.35, all P<0.05). Compared with group 3, each dimension and total scores of groups 1 and group 2 were higher than those of group 3, and the differences were statistically significant (t values were 2.37-7.96, all P<0.05). After the intervention, the SAS score of group 2 was (43.32 ± 21.68), which was lower than that of group 1 (57.75 ± 22.68) and group 3 (60.65 ± 19.88), and the difference were statistically significant (t=3.09, 3.99, both P<0.05).Conclusions:3M earplugs or white noise reduction earplugs combined with eye masks can effectively improve the sleep quality of ICU patients, and white noise reduction earplugs combined with eye masks can also relieve the anxiety of patients.

Horizontal Localization in Simulated Unilateral Hearing Loss

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The ability to localize a sound source is one of the binaural hearing benefits in a horizontal plane based on interaural time difference and interaural intensity difference. Unilateral or bilateral asymmetric hearing loss will affect binaural hearing and lead to sound locating errors. In this cross sectional analytical descriptive study, the localization error was investigated when participants turned their heads to the sound source with closed eyes and after simulating unilateral hearing loss by placing earplugs inside the right ear canal. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This cross sectional analytical descriptive study was carried out on 30 right-handed adults, 22 female and 8 male (average: 25 years, standard deviation: 3.16). They were selected with the available random access method. Horizontal localization was evaluated with five speakers located at 0, ±30, and ±60 degree azimuths at a 1-meter distance from the examinee. Narrow-band noise signals were delivered at 35 dB SL in two “without earplug” and “with earplug” situations and the results were compared. The study was performed between September and December 2016 in Tehran, Iran. RESULTS: Significant differences were observed in localization errors between the “with earplug” and “without earplug” situations. The localization differences were greater for left-side speakers (-30 and -60 degrees) compared with right-side speakers (+30 and +60 degrees). The differences were more apparent at 4,000 and 6,000 Hz, which confirmed the effect of unilateral simulated hearing loss on interaural latency differences. CONCLUSIONS: Simulating hearing loss by using an earplug in one ear (right) increased localization errors at all frequencies. The errors increased at higher frequencies.

THE ATTENUATION SURVEY OF A HIGH-LOW FREQUENCY EARPLUG / 第二军医大学学报

Earplugs have effects on preventing noise. Many earplugs developed, when being used, may hinder speech communication because of their lack in frequency selectivity of attenuation.A new type earplug called a high-low frequency(HLF)earplug has been desingned. There is a Zigzag channel in the earplug, which lets speaking tones pass and absorbes high frequency noise. So it doesn't influence communication. And it could attenuate noise if channel be closed as well in an environemt with low frequency.According to Iso4869-1981 standard. HLF earplug's average attenuation is 29.1 dB. When the channel is opened its attenuation will be below 10 dB at low frequency; about 30 dB at high frequen-cy.