IntriCon APT-D User manual

Doc 22556 Rev C ECO 58875 (10/28/19)
1260 Red Fox Road ∙ Arden Hills, MN 55112 ∙ TEL: [phone] ∙ FAX: [phone]
Kesselschmiedstrasse 10 ∙ D-85354 Freising, Germany ∙ TEL: [phone] ∙ FAX: [phone]
www.intricon.com
APT-D Fitting Recommendations
The fitting goal is to provide a comfortable and secure fit with a minimal amount of
occlusion, while providing a pleasing appearance.
The ideal device placement is to position the faceplate slightly past the tragus into the
canal. The body of the device should allow gaps between its shell and the canal wall. The
tip should ideally not come in contact with the canal wall. The faceplate should not be
visible from the front and may be slightly visible from the side (fig 1).
Figure 1
Selecting the appropriate D-Ring
Step 1: Check to be sure the ear canal is large enough to hold the body of the
APT-D (see Inserting APT-D into Ear below). If the canal is too small,
the APT-D is not an appropriate device for this client.
Step 2: Medium D-Ring - Attach the medium D-Ring to the APT-D body
(see Attaching D-Ring to APT-D Body below).
Step 3: Insert the APT-D into ear (see Inserting APT-D into Ear below). If the D-
Ring will not fit or is deformed when it is in the ear then go to step 7
Small D-Ring.

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Step 4: If the D-Ring fits into ear, check to be sure it does not apply too much
pressure. If there is too much pressure, then go to step 7 Small D-Ring.
Step 5: Check to be sure the D-Ring is not too loose in the ear (small red D-Ring
in fig 2). If it is too loose then go to step 11 Large D-Ring.
Step 6: The APT-D with Medium D-Ring should be making contact with multiple
points in the concha walls and the top fold of the D-Ring should be
comfortably tucked into the top of the concha (see green D-Ring in fig 2).
The medium D-Ring is the proper choice. Continue with fitting.
Figure 2 (Green is correct size, Red is too large or too small)
Step 7: Small D-Ring - Remove medium D-Ring and attach the small D-Ring to
the APT-D Body (see Removing the APT-D D-Ring below).
Step 8: Insert the APT-D into ear (see Inserting APT-D into Ear below). If the D-
Ring will not fit or is deformed when it is in the ear then Stop –The APT-
D is not an appropriate device try an open fit BTE.
Step 9: If the APT-D with small D-Ring is too loose then try the medium D-Ring
again and make a determination if the small or medium D-Ring is best. A
loose fit is preferable to a tight fit.
Step 10: The APT-D with Small D-Ring should be making contact with multiple
points in the concha walls and the top fold of the D-Ring should be
comfortably tucked into the top of the concha (fig 2). The small D-Ring is
the proper choice. Continue with fitting.

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Step 11: Large D-Ring - Remove medium D-Ring and attach the large D-Ring to
the APT-D Body (see Removing the APT-D D-Ring below).
Step 12: Insert the APT-D into ear (see Inserting APT-D into Ear below). If the D-
Ring will not fit, is deformed when it is in the ear, or causes pressure then
try the medium D-Ring again and make a determination if the large or
medium D-Ring is best. A loose fit is preferable to a tight fit.
Step 13 If the APT-D with large D-Ring is so loose that it could fall out then Stop
–The APT-D is not an appropriate device try an open fit BTE.
Step 14: The APT-D with Large D-Ring should be making contact with multiple
points in the concha walls and the top fold of the D-Ring should be
comfortably tucked into the top of the concha (fig 2). The large D-Ring is
the proper choice. Continue with fitting.
The user’s ability to insert the device may also factor into the D-Ring size selection. If
the user is having difficulty inserting the device, they may need to try the next size smaller.
Attaching the D-Ring to the APT-D Body
The APT-D body is designed to work for either the left or right ear. Attaching the D-
Ring to the body will make the APT-D into a left or right device.
Selecting the correct side D-Ring. A D-Ring with red dot(s) is for the right side and a D-
Ring with blue dot(s) is for the left side.
Size is indicated by a color dot scheme located on the bottom D-Ring clip: one Blue/Red
dot and a white dot indicate a large size D-Ring; two Blue/Red dots indicate a medium
size D-Ring, and one Blue/Red dot indicates a small size D-Ring. (See below for
examples):
Left D-Ring - With the correct size D-Ring, hold the body of the device in your left hand
and the D-Ring in your right hand. Check to be sure the battery door of the device swings
up and the blue color dot(s) on the D-Ring are facing you. First, attach the bottom of the
Left Small
Right Small
Left Medium
Right Medium
Left Large
Right Large

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D-Ring by pushing it into the bottom clip holder on the device (fig 3). Now attach the top
of the D-Ring by pushing it into the top clip holder (fig 4).
Figure 3 Figure 4
Right D-Ring - With the correct size D-Ring, hold the body of the device in your right
hand and the D-Ring in your left hand. Check to be sure the battery door of the device
swings up and the red color dot(s) on the D-Ring are facing you. First, attach the bottom
of the D-Ring by pushing it into the bottom clip holder on the device (fig 5). Now attach
the top of the D-Ring by pushing it into the top clip holder (fig 6).
Figure 5 Figure 6
Removing the APT-D D-Ring
To remove the APT-D D-Ring, pull in the opposite direction in which it is shown to
attach them above. Hold the device in one hand. Then pull at the upper and lower clips
with the other hand until the D-Ring releases from the unit. It is very important that you
hold the D-Ring as close to the clip as possible to prevent any damage to the D-Ring.

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Inserting APT-D into Ear
Left Ear –Hold the APT-D with your left thumb and index finger (see figure 7).
Figure 7
With the APT-D in your left hand, move the device up to your ear (fig 8). Begin inserting
the device by directing the nose of the device a short distance down the ear canal towards
the ear drum (fig 9). Gently push the D-Ring into the concha from the bottom (fig 10) and
the top (fig 11). Make sure that the top of the D-Ring is securely tucked into the top of
the concha area. Run your finger around the D-Ring to ensure that the D-Ring is not
slipping out of the concha.
Figure 8 Figure 9

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Figure 10 Figure 11
Right Ear –Hold the APT-D with your right thumb and index finger (fig 12).
Figure 12
Repeat the instructions for the left ear with the device in your right hand. Figures 8 thru
11 apply, but the motions will take place on your right side.
The D-Ring should hold the APT-D body securely in place while also positioning it
correctly in the ear canal. Allow the D-Ring to hold the device in place instead of pushing
it too far down the canal. (A loose fit is preferable to a fit that causes pressure on the ear
or in the canal). When a user is first learning how to insert the APT-D into their ear, a
mirror or finding someone to assist is highly recommended.
Removing the APT-D from the Ear

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Run the index finger of the appropriate hand around the edge of the concha until the
finger is able to pull the D-Ring (fig 13). Then pull the D-Ring and device out of the ear.
Figure 13
APT-D Acoustic Push Button
The acoustic push button has four settings: Off, Single Tap, Double Tap and Hold &
Double Tap. For all types of switch functionality, the fingers should be held together and
the finger tips should lightly tap the outer part of the ear (fig 14). The tap should be a flat
pat on the ear that generates a “thud”like sound. It is the specific pressure wave
generated by this pat that actuates the switch. The pat should be soft and should never be
painful or severe enough to cause ringing in your ear.

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Figure 14
Single Tap –Tap once to change the memory. This is the simplest to operate. This setting
may be falsely triggered by environmental noises such as a car door closing. If the user is
comfortable changing back to their preferred program if this occurs, this may be the
appropriate setting.
Double Tap –This requires two taps about ½ second apart to change memories. The
double tap switch option is less sensitive to false triggers than the single tap. This is the
recommended switch mode for new users.
Hold and Double Tap –This switch requires the fingers to be held over the canal opening
for about one second followed by two taps. This mode is the least prone to false triggers.
Notes regarding the different switching modes.
-A few minutes of practice is typically sufficient for the wearer to become
comfortable with the tap function.
-If the switch does not work, remove the hand and wait two seconds and try
again.
-Operating the tap switch does NOT require the device to be touched.
Inserting and Extracting the Wax Guard

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The APT-D is designed for a shallow location in the ear canal, so wax is typically less of
an issue than with traditional ITEs. Still, a wax guard is used to insure against wax
damage to the receiver. A wax guard tool is used for the removal and insertion of the wax
guards. The threaded end of the tool is used for removing the used wax guard and the
opposite end is used for inserting a new wax guard (fig 15).
Figure 15
Using a Lapel Clip to Position the Programming Cable
A lapel clip can be used to support the programming cable during a fitting session. This
helps prevent the weight of the cable from pulling the device out of the patient’s ear (fig
16).

1260 Red Fox Road ∙ Arden Hills, MN 55112 ∙ TEL: [phone] ∙ FAX: [phone]
Kesselschmiedstrasse 10 ∙ D-85354 Freising, Germany ∙ TEL: [phone] ∙ FAX: [phone]
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Figure 16