Cochlear and Implantable Devices

What Is a Cochlear Implant?

A cochlear implant is a small hearing device that can help people with profound or severe hearing loss hear again. There are two parts to a cochlear implant: a small piece behind the ear that looks like a hearing aid and a piece that is implanted under the skin surgically. Traditional hearing aids have advanced considerably in the last few years, but they aren’t the right choice for everyone. A small percentage of people with significant hearing loss may need implants. Cochlear implants don’t rely on damaged portions of the ear, they directly stimulate the auditory nerve, which sends signals directly to the brain. This is an entirely different experience of hearing and takes time to become accustomed to. However, for those who have severe hearing loss or are deaf, it can help them function better.

Who Benefits From Cochlear Implants?

Less than 6 percent of people in America who could benefit from a cochlear implant actually have one. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services more than 188,000 people worldwide have received implants. In the United States, roughly 41,000 adults and 26,000 children have them. Cochlear implants may benefit adults and children who have significant hearing loss or are deaf.

People who lose their hearing as an adult often do well with cochlear implants because they can relate the signal provided by an implant to sounds they remember. With therapy, these adults are often able to understand speech again. Even very young children who experienced significant hearing loss before they acquired language skills are able to learn how to understand and respond to speech after receiving an implant and intensive therapy.

The FDA has a series of requirements to determine who is a good candidate.

How Do Cochlear Implants Work?

Cochlear implants require surgery and a period of intensive therapy after the procedure. The surgery itself is usually done on an outpatient basis in a few hours. You should review your personal medical history with your physician and go over the risks, but many patients find cochlear implants to be life-changing.

Traditional hearing aids are often likened to mini-speakers amplifying sound into the ear so you can hear and understand speech better. For some people, simply “turning up” the sound in the ear won’t work because they have conductive hearing loss or other issues that interfere with the way the ear hears. Bone-anchored hearing solutions skip past the ear canal and middle ear and use bone conduction to transmit sounds directly to the inner ear.

Bone conduction solutions help those with conductive or mixed hearing loss or single-sided deafness. They work by bypassing the outer or middle ear and sending clearer, more crisp sound directly to the inner ear using bone conduction.

Who Might Benefit?