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At St. Rita's
Medical Center, the Audiology department offers several outpatient services
to help manage and determine the health of your ears and hearing. In particular,
the brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) is a test where a licensed
audiologist measures the electrical activity of the brain in response to
sound. Patients who have hearing loss in one ear or who have ringing (tinnitus),
dizziness or facial numbness are often referred for this test.
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If
your physician has prescribed BAER, you should arrive to St. Rita's approximately
30 minutes before your appointment and check in with Outpatient Registration.
This area is located on the first floor of the Medical Center behind the
Information Desk in the main lobby. From there you will be directed to Cardiopulmonary
Services on the second floor. The test will take approximately one hour
for adults. |
Pediatric patients need to be deprived of sleep because the test is best
performed in a sleeping state. Individual instructions will be sent directly
to the patient from St. Rita's Audiology department.
For pediatric patients,
the test should take about two hours, depending on how long it takes the
child to fall asleep.
During the test electrodes, or wires, are applied behind each ear, at the
top of the head and at the forehead. A clicking stimulus is directed through
headphones into each ear individually. For pediatric patients, the BAER
provides an assessment of how well the child can hear. In adults, the test
evaluates how well the hearing signal goes from the ear to the brain. After
the test is completed, a comprehensive report with the audiologists' impressions
and recommendations will be sent to the referring physician.
A physician's order is required. Orders can be faxed to Cardiopulminary
Services at (419) 226-9535 or sent to the test with you.
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For
More Information
Audiology Department:
(419)-226-9341
Central Scheduling:
(419) 226-9056 |
| Location and Hours: |
St.
Rita's Medical Center
Monday through Friday
8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Putnam County Ambulatory Care Center
Wednesday
8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
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