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Technology & Treatment Options

The next steps in treatment for
severe to profound hearing loss

Technology & Treatment Options

Learn more about implant technology

Today’s hearing technology and innovations offer new opportunities for patients affected by hearing loss. Cochlear implants are an increasingly common option for patients who seek improvement beyond what can be achieved through hearing aids.

Technology & Treatment Options Technology & Treatment Options
The Technology

Implants vs. Hearing Aids

These tiny, complex medical devices (CIs) work differently than hearing aids. Rather than amplifying sound, which helps an individual with residual hearing ability, a cochlear implant provides the sense of sound by stimulating the auditory nerve directly. Cochlear implants do not cure hearing loss, but they do provide an opportunity for the severely hard of hearing or deaf to perceive the sensation of sound by bypassing the damaged inner ear.

Treatment Options

The treatment spectrum for hearing loss

Low

Communication difficulty

High Quality PSAPs

Benefits Can Include:

  • Improved Audibility in Quiet
  • Improved Speech Understanding in Quiet
  • Limited Improvement in Noise

Low/Moderate

Communication difficulty

Hearing Aids

Benefits Can Include:

  • Improved Ability in Noise
  • Improved Comfort in Noise
  • Improved Speech Understanding in Noise
  • Localizing of Sounds
  • Telephone Use
  • Listening to Music

Low/Moderate

Communication difficulty

Hearing Systems

Benefits Can Include:

  • ALL THE BENEFITS OF HEARING AIDS PLUS
  • Streaming TV Audio
  • Streaming Directly from Phone
  • Remote Companion Microphone
  • Remote Adjustments and Programming

Moderate/High

Communication difficulty

Cochlear Implants

Benefits Can Include:

  • ALL THE BENEFITS OF HEARING SYSTEMS PLUS
  • Direct Stimulation of the Inner Ear
  • Optimized Speech Understanding in Quiet and Noise
  • Maximized Results with a Cochlear Implant +Hearing Aid (Bimodal)
Technology & Treatment Options Technology & Treatment Options
Bimodal Solutions

Better hearing with a bimodal solution

With bimodal hearing, the hearing aid and cochlear implant work as a team. For many, a cochlear implant in one ear and continued use of a hearing aid in the other can provide an enhanced hearing performance. For some people, cochlear implantation in both ears can be the best way to optimize hearing.

In a bimodal hearing solution, a hearing aid and a cochlear implant system work together to provide you with a richer and more natural hearing experience.

What can my patients expect?

Patients report higher satisfaction from a bimodal solution (cochlear implant + hearing aid) than from hearing aids alone

Bilateral Hearing Aids

Smart Bimodal

Hearing Performance

Satisfied or very satisfied

9%

Bilateral Hearing Aids

95%

Smart Bimodal

Ability to understand what is heard on TV

13%

Bilateral Hearing Aids

76%

Smart Bimodal

Ability to understand a conversation in a small group

8%

Bilateral Hearing Aids

79%

Smart Bimodal

Hearing performance in background noise

2%

Bilateral Hearing Aids

58%

Smart Bimodal

Ability to listen to and appreciate music

13%

Bilateral Hearing Aids

68%

Smart Bimodal

Ability to understand people on the phone

6%

Bilateral Hearing Aids

71%

Smart Bimodal

Learn more about how you can support your patients along the continuum of hearing care.

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