Ototoxicity Awareness, Well-Informed Choices.

April 2024

• OTOTOXICITY •

Throughout life, personally and professionally, we practice the life skills associated with evaluating trade-offs. While some decisions may be clear cut, others may involve assessing the pluses and minuses of particular pathways.

Personal examples include:

Where to live
What to eat
When to exercise
How much sleep to get and ...
Who to see for medical care

While each person's choices are their own, awareness of potential benefits and risks is crucial. Like shades of gray, there are often evaluative nuances typically involved.

In healthcare settings, focusing on the whole person is imperative to improving quality of life, and individual choices influence outcomes. We encourage you to diligently learn more and live better.

Ototoxicity is defined as the manner and degree in which certain drugs can cause ringing in the ears (Tinnitus), dizziness or hearing loss, typically at high frequencies.

Research indicates exposure to ototoxic drugs can damage inner sensory hair cells necessary for hearing and balance, often on a permanent basis.

may be affected by Ototoxicity?

Those receiving chemotherapeutic treatment or taking any one of over 100 classes of medications including but not limited to:

Chemo drugs such as Cisplatin and Carboplatin
NSAIDS such as Ibuprofen and Naproxen
Antibiotics such as Neomycin and Streptomycin
Pain relievers such as Aspirin
Diuretics such as Bumex and Edecrin

For easy reference, please see this more complete list.

patient awareness is vital?

That, in addition to children, there is greater risk of ototoxicity for those with high blood pressure, renal failure, dehydration or the elderly.

should informative conversations take place?

During clinical visits with your interdisciplinary care team which may include primary care doctor, oncologist, nurses, hearing care professional and pharmacist.

should preventative action steps be taken?

The sooner the better, inclusive of a baseline hearing examination which will help assess potential progression of ototoxic impact with diagnostic monitoring.

are evidence-based preventative measures important?

Early identification of ototoxic impact may indicate a need to adjust medicinal regimens that harm hearing and communication functions.

It is essential to consider how degraded hearing abilities may negatively impact care instruction dialogue with healthcare providers, mentally healthy social interactions and quality of life.

can you make well-informed decisions?

By better understanding the risks, benefits and alternatives with personalized plans of care, patients and their families may be more empowered with relevant knowledge to proactively discuss with medical specialists.

Peer-reviewed research is worthy of recognition and practical clinical application:

“Audiologic monitoring for Ototoxicity is primarily performed for two purposes: 1) early detection of changes to hearing status presumably attributed to a drug/treatment regimen so that changes in the drug regimen may be considered, and 2) audiologic intervention when handicapping hearing impairment has occurred.

“The term Ototoxicity monitoring is generally taken to express the principle of early identification. For example, when changes are detected early, the physician can be alerted so that alternative treatment protocols, possibly with less Ototoxic medications, may be considered.” ¹

“In Ototoxicity monitoring, it is essential to be proactive. To the extent possible, it is absolutely critical to obtain a baseline evaluation prior to the patient receiving the monitored drug therapy.” ¹

“Maintaining optimal communication abilities in these patients can be a major contribution to their quality of life. When monitoring patients for Ototoxicity, questioning them systematically about any Tinnitus symptoms at each appointment is strongly encouraged.” ¹

¹Durrant JD, Campbell K, Fausti S, et al. American Academy of Audiology Position Statement and Clinical Practice Guidelines: Ototoxicity Monitoring. http://www.audiology.org/publications-resources/document-library/ototoxicity-monitoring. Published October 2009. Accessed March 6, 2017.

In summary, the key point is, when the research speaks, we should listen. What gets accurately measured can be better managed.

While we take your hearing care seriously, a little laughter goes a long way.

Good Humor, Healthy Hearing

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Stilwell, KS 66085

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