TY - JOUR
T1 - Noise-induced hearing loss profile among Taiwan Airforce on duty pilots
AU - Chen, Shih Ming
AU - Fan, Yang Teng
AU - Martinez, Róger Marcelo
AU - Chen, Chenyi
N1 - Funding Information:
The study was funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology ( MOST 111-2636-H-038-008- ; 112- 2636-H-038-005- ; 111-2410-H-155-023- ) and Tri-Service General Hospital of the National Defence Medical Centre ( TSGH-SS-D-109021 ).
Funding Information:
The study was funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST 111-2636-H-038-008-; 112- 2636-H-038-005-; 111-2410-H-155-023-) and Tri-Service General Hospital of the National Defence Medical Centre (TSGH-SS-D-109021). The current study used secondary analysis of existing data from the national data set of the Taiwan Airforce 2019 physical examination database, and was approved by the Human Trial Review Board of the Tri-Service General Hospital of the National Defence Medical Centre (C202005008), with waivers of requirement to document informed consent (i.e. to obtain a signature) that were based on the part of the Waiver of Informed Consent (45 CFR 46.116) of Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects (a.k.a. the “Common Rule”). An official communication was sent to the Military Medical Division of the Air Force Command of the Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of China (Taiwan), in order to obtain the authorization of the Air Force Command for the use of the basic data of the pilots and carry out this study legally.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author(s)
PY - 2023/5
Y1 - 2023/5
N2 - Purpose: Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) often results in impaired functional hearing and accidental injuries; thus, reducing military performance and endangering flight safety. While a few studies addressing laterality (left-right ear differences) and NIHL incidence between fixed-winged (jet-fighter) and rotary-wing (helicopter) aircrafts yielded inconsistent results, little is known about the NIHL profile among different types of jet-fighter pilots. This study aims to conduct a fine-grained examination of NIHL among Airforce jet pilots, with planned comparisons of laterality and aircraft type, along with the goal to compare the sensitivity of different hearing indices in predicting military pilot NIHL. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study utilizes the health and hearing data of 1025 Taiwanese Air Force Military pilots from the 2019 Taiwanese physical examination database to assess the changes in their hearing thresholds, and evaluate their risk for NIHL. Results: Our results showed that, among available military aircraft types, the trainer aircraft and M2000-5 jet-fighter had the highest risk of NIHL, in addition to a left ear inferiority found in the overall population of military pilots. Among the three hearing indices used in this study –the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) three-point hearing index, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) three-point hearing index, and the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery's (AAO-HNS) high-frequency three-point hearing index–, the OSHA the AAO-HNS were the most sensitive. Conclusion: Our results suggest a better noise protection for trainer and M2000-5 pilots, especially for the left ear, is warranted.
AB - Purpose: Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) often results in impaired functional hearing and accidental injuries; thus, reducing military performance and endangering flight safety. While a few studies addressing laterality (left-right ear differences) and NIHL incidence between fixed-winged (jet-fighter) and rotary-wing (helicopter) aircrafts yielded inconsistent results, little is known about the NIHL profile among different types of jet-fighter pilots. This study aims to conduct a fine-grained examination of NIHL among Airforce jet pilots, with planned comparisons of laterality and aircraft type, along with the goal to compare the sensitivity of different hearing indices in predicting military pilot NIHL. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study utilizes the health and hearing data of 1025 Taiwanese Air Force Military pilots from the 2019 Taiwanese physical examination database to assess the changes in their hearing thresholds, and evaluate their risk for NIHL. Results: Our results showed that, among available military aircraft types, the trainer aircraft and M2000-5 jet-fighter had the highest risk of NIHL, in addition to a left ear inferiority found in the overall population of military pilots. Among the three hearing indices used in this study –the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) three-point hearing index, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) three-point hearing index, and the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery's (AAO-HNS) high-frequency three-point hearing index–, the OSHA the AAO-HNS were the most sensitive. Conclusion: Our results suggest a better noise protection for trainer and M2000-5 pilots, especially for the left ear, is warranted.
KW - Auditory health
KW - Flight time
KW - Hearing loss
KW - Military pilots
KW - Noise
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U2 - 10.1016/j.amjoto.2023.103802
DO - 10.1016/j.amjoto.2023.103802
M3 - Article
C2 - 36871421
AN - SCOPUS:85149392196
SN - 0196-0709
VL - 44
JO - American Journal of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Medicine and Surgery
JF - American Journal of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Medicine and Surgery
IS - 3
M1 - 103802
ER -