NHCA 2021 Virtual Conference

Co-Presenters/ Co-Authors:
Christopher Smalt, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Julieta Scalo, Department of Defense (DoD)

The noise and blast hazards of many weapon systems cannot be completely abated without reducing mission effectiveness, and hearing protection strategies are ineffective when exposure is unpredictable or if sound intensity exceeds hearing protection device capabilities. “Characterization of Acute Short-term Military Population Auditory Shifts” (CHASMPAS) is a military study to characterize noise and blast exposures experienced during weapons training, monitor for acute or short-term-acquired hearing changes, and directly correlate such changes to noise and blast dose. This is done by collecting data in the field at the time of exposure, and by using advanced boothless audiology technology and noise and blast measurement techniques. Boothless technology allows rapid administration of tests for comprehensive evaluation of auditory function. The resulting dataset will be augmented with demographic and clinical data, and evaluated using multi-dimensional, big-data analysis methods. CHASMPAS aims to extensively characterize and map noise and blast conditions as they relate to various aspects of hearing function, and to evaluate dose-response effects and risk-mediating factors. This research will help elucidate the effects of injurious noise and blast and identify populations that may benefit most from future studies of pharmaceutical interventions for noise-induced hearing loss. This presentation discusses study aims, design, and preliminary results.

Learning Objectives:
As a result of this Continuing Education Activity, readers will be able to:
1) Describe the use of boothless audiology technology in assessment of threshold shifts in military service populations.
2) Describe the noise/blast measurement techniques employed in military exposures.
3) Describe preliminary findings of the auditory and noise/blast measurements data.