In recognition, AudiologyOnline has interviewed several industry experts for the latest information on hearing care for the often overlooked and underserved pirate population. Not that th' scallywags deserve it!
Dr. Brian Fligor from Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School, whose research interests include acquired hearing loss, has done extensive work with pirates. "In addition to age-related hearing loss in pirates, piratcusis, our data show that pirates suffer greater degrees of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) than landlubbers. Parrot squawking has drawn much attention recently, since the typical perch on the shoulder means high SPL levels close to the eardrum," Dr. Fligor stated. His recent research (Fligor, Hook & Sparrow, 2010) has measured peak squawk outputs of 145 dBA for some species. "Considering the average pirate's exposure time is 12 hours per day, this clearly exceeds the NIOSH PEL (parrot exposure limit)," Dr. Fligor stated. Other recreational and occupational noise exposures in pirates include cannon fire, broadsiding, swashbuckling and participating in loud pirate shanties. Dr. Fligor indicates that education is the key to preventing NIHL in pirates, but working with this special population is not for the lily-livered audiologist. "Specialty certification in Pirateatrics is recommended," stated Dr. Fligor.
A special line of pirate hearing accessories is now available from Oaktree Products, Inc. Oaktree's Vice President, Dr. A.U. Bankaitis explains, "Our new PrivatEAR line of products includes spondee word lists designed for pirate diagnostics (bloodbath, doubloon, hogshead, blackjack), to special equipment designed to dislodge grog-clogs from ear canals. We're committed to providing the latest products as well as outstanding customer service to serve the needs of today's buccaneers and pirate care professionals," Dr. Bankaitis stated.
Gus Grog-Guzzlin' Mueller, Ph.D.
Asked if an upcoming Vanderbilt Audiology Journal Club live expert e-seminar on AudiologyOnline will cover pirate audiology research, host Gus Mueller, Ph.D. stated, "I don't see why not. If we do a pirate audiology literature review, I would suggest the bilge of Tootsie's as the most appropriate venue for holding the event".
A new professional association, ARRGHH (Academy to Really Rehabilitate Galleon-raidin' Hornswagglers' Hearing) has been formed by audiologists who focus on pirates' audiologic treatment needs. From the importance of including the significant other in the rehabilitation process - whether it be mateys, lasses, wenches, or what have you - to analyzing various aspects of the pirate-patient journey, ARRGHH hopes to soon develop evidenced-based practice guidelines. "We need to move beyond Blackbeard and treat the whole pirate," stated ARRGHH president, Dr. Kenneth C. Sutton . "We're looking forward to the latest PirateTrak surveys as well as other emerging data to assist us in our efforts."
For more information on pirate hearing care, please visit www.audiologyonline.com or we'll make ye scurvy dogs walk the plank!
