ANA Discussion Forum
General Category => Hearing Issues => Topic started by: Battyp on July 06, 2007, 03:13:43 pm
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I just stumled across this article and thought i'd share.
Michelle
IMPLANTABLE HEARING AIDS SOUND GREAT TO FRUSTRATED PATIENTS
Good Vibrations
Background noise, a bulky fit, sound distortionâ€â€at least one in five people who own hearing aids will tell you that the devices provide more frustration than the aid their name promises. So much so, some refuse to wear them at all.
More than 28 million Americans suffer from hearing loss, but a solution for many is near. The University of Miami Ear Institute is now capable of implanting middle ear hearing devices.
Physicians at the institute have turned to the Vibrant Soundbridge, the first FDA-approved device of its kind, as an alternative to conventional acoustic hearing aids. Treatment with the Vibrant Soundbridge is intended for adults suffering from moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss, the most common type, caused by a lack of sensitivity in the inner ear.
Mary Corenblum jumped at the chance to receive an implant in 1998, when the Ear Institute was one of ten centers in the country conducting clinical trials on the device. After wearing hearing aids for 15 years, she was fed up with the feedback and discomfort and ready for a change. “I had nothing to lose and everything to gain,� Corenblum says.
After a successful surgery and recovery, she returned to the School of Medicine to activate the device. The change was startling. “I was ready to jump out of my chair,� she says. “From the first minute, I was happy.� At 82 years old, Corenblum says her hearing is better now than even before she used hearing aids.
While hearing aids amplify sounds and send them through the ear canal, causing indirect vibrations in the middle ear, the implant works more directly. A small external audio processor worn behind the ear catches sound and transmits it to an implanted receiver. A tiny device directly vibrates the bones in the middle ear and stimulates hair cells in the inner ear, or cochlea. These hair cells, in turn, jump-start the auditory nerve, enabling the brain to interpret the sound without disruptive feedback or background noise.
“Some people who wear conventional hearing aids are troubled with feedback, echo, and irritation of the external ear canal,� says Fred Telischi, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Otolaryngology and director of the Ear Institute. “The middle ear implant can eliminate those problems.�
Each device is programmable and can be customized to meet a patient’s particular needs. And as technology advances, the existing implanted device can be upgraded. Patients who have received the device are overwhelmingly pleased, boasting clearer, higher-quality sound, as well as a better fit than hearing aids.
So what is Mary Corenblum’s final word on her switch to the implant from the conventional hearing aid? “Sounds good to me,� she says.
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Pretty interesting. Gives everyone with SSD some hope and something to look forward to.
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"A tiny device directly vibrates the bones in the middle ear and stimulates hair cells in the inner ear, or cochlea. These hair cells, in turn, jump-start the auditory nerve, enabling the brain to interpret the sound without disruptive feedback or background noise."
In the above quote I read nothing that shows how this can benefit a person whose hearing nerve, tiny bones, and cochlea have been severed by Translab surgery.
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as withy any glimmer of hope for us, It appears to be determined if it would work for us ANers. also, hoow would it work with the dreaded loud tinnius
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But otherwise, Batty, thanks for sharing. maybe something to look into
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The first neurotologist I went to was with the Hough Ear Clinic in Oklahoma City. Dr. Jack Hough was either the inventor or co-inventor of the sound bridge. He is retired now and works constantly on new hearing devices. Unfortunately he was not the doctor I went to in his clinic. While in the clinic I did read a lot about the sound bridge. I am pretty sure I remember it is only effective on air conducted hearing loss. I ask about it and was told not for AN Translab people.
Sandy
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Thanks for the info. I'm not sure if it will work for me or not, but I intend to ask my doctor about it. He and I have briefly talked BAHA, but maybe this is an option for me. I also plan to ask him about TransEar.