Helmets make a difference in bicycle injuries

This is a meta-analysis of maxillofacial injuries arising from riding a bicycle. The incidence of maxillofacial fractures in cycling accidents varies from 3-20% and, whilst the effectiveness of helmets in preventing traumatic brain injuries is well known, their protective effect...

Transcutaneous vs. percutaneous bone conduction devices

Bone conduction devices (BCD) have proven to be effective options for hearing amplification in patients who are not candidates for conventional hearing aids. This study prospectively surveyed 70 patients with BCD using the COSI (Client Oriented Scale of Improvement) and...

RCT: tongue retaining devices vs CPAP for OSA

This study compared the effect of a tongue retaining device versus the use of CPAP in 27 patients within a crossover RCT design. Tongue retaining devices (also known as tongue stabilising devices), are similar in appearance to a plastic tongue-sized...

Cochlear implants in single sided deafness

Whilst the benefit of a second cochlear implant in people with bilateral deafness is well established, the benefits of implantation for single sided deafness with normal contralateral hearing have been much more modest. The reasons for this are varied, in...

An alternative device for obstructive sleep apnoea

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the first-line treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), primarily due to the vast amount of short-term evidence in the medical literature it has accrued. The enduring obstacle to CPAP from becoming a treatment option...

Literature review of experience with the BAHA Attract implant

The authors undertook a literature review for reports on patients who underwent BAHA Attract implantation. Of the 497 PubMed articles, 10 studies met their inclusion criteria. All the studies published were observational studies. There were no randomised control trials. The...

Hypoglossal stimulation for OSA

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is a highly effective treatment for moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), but suffers significantly from poor patient adherence. This paper reports the three-year outcomes of a prospective multicentre cohort study examining the effect of hypoglossal...

Hearing protectors and speech perception

This study tested 31 subjects using hearing protectors by maintaining a constant intensity level for the speech signal while varying background noise levels. The goal was to use this test to detect speech perceptual abilities under different hearing protectors –...

The use of Integra to allow early cover wounds

The authors present the use of Integra in a unique cohort of patients. Seven patients ages 21-31 in a six month period treated in one hospital. These were a very fit group of patients that had injuries caused by improvised...