Advances in Cochlear Implant Technology and its services

As in a few recent decades ago, there was minuscule technological solutions available to assist a cochlear implant recipient, who had been in a severe to profound hearing loss, with very difficult speech recognition—in noisy and reverberant settings, over a medium or when spoken from a distance. In today's world, cochlear implantation manufacturers are making a contribution in order to meet patient's needs who struggle with communication. The article here provides few solutions that have been evolved and improved over the past few years.

1. Signal processing

Numerous signal processing algorithms are designed to improve performance of cochlear implant products. The people who have this improved versions are seen to be significantly more efficient in hearing in noise surroundings and are providing feedback that it is more comfortable for them.

2. Implanting at earlier ages for children who are born with hearing loss

Previously cochlear implant were only available for children after their first or second birthdays but over the past few years, infants under one year of their age, are seen to be successfully getting their cochlear implants. A case of Eva Riggs in 2009 where she successfully got over her transplant at a age before her first birthday. In cases of congenital-severe to profound-deafness, clinicians should strive to limit the period of time over which the child is deprived of consistent access to intelligible speech.

3. Electroacoustic stimulation

For persons who have significant residual hearing in the low-frequency range with severe to profound high-frequency hearing loss, the best case scenario is to provide acoustic stimulation by way of hearing aid amplification in the low frequencies and electrical stimulation by way of cochlear implantation in the high frequencies. The hybrid types of implant provides short electrode arrays to provide sound processors capable of providing low-frequency acoustic amplifications and hearing preservation. It serves a better tool for those who were not qualified for traditional cochlear implant technology.

4.  Dual microphone directional technology

In the situation in which implant users struggle the most i.e. listening in noise, directional microphone technology is one of the most effective ways to improve recognition of speech. Sophisticated adaptive beaming directional systems are common in contemporary hearing aid technology and hence in the recent years there is an increase in dual microphone beam-forming into cochlear implant sound processors.

Hence, a better programming is appropriate to meet unique needs of each implant recipients, allowing them to use their full potential.

The new book, Programming Cochlear Implants, Second Edition by Jace Wolfe, PhD, and Erin C. Schafer, PhD, was developed as a guide for professionals who program cochlear implants. It is effective to optimize outcomes for cochlear implant user, if followed according to it.