A cochlear implant (CI) is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to a person who is severely hearing impaired.
Who is a candidate?
An audiologist will determine your candidacy based on your audiometric findings. A diagnostic hearing test will be performed as well as specialized speech testing. Here are some of McGuire’s Hearing Center guidelines:
- Individuals 18 years and older
- Moderate to profound sensorineural hearing loss in both ears
- Limited benefit from amplification defined by preoperative test scores of < 50% sentence recognition in the ear to be implanted and < 60% in the opposite ear on binaurally
At McGuire’s Hearing Centers we are proud to be a part of Cochlear America’s Cochlear Implant Provider Network (CPN). As a CPN, McGuire’s Hearing Center Professionals will:
- Candidacy identification & evaluation
- Educate the candidate and their family on the entire cochlear implant journey
- Refer to a NYU Langone (CPN) surgeon dedicated to hearing implants
- Initial activation programming
- Follow-up programming and auditory rehabilitation
- Support and education
How does it work?
The cochlear implant bypasses the damaged portions of the inner ear and directly stimulates the auditory nerve.
Signals generated by the Cochlear Implant, the internal portion which is composed of the electrodes and receiver, and the external portion which is called the transmitter (or processor). The internal receiver takes the coded electrical signals from the external transmitter and delivers them to the array of electrodes that have been surgically inserted into the cochlea.
What does it look like?
Cochlear currently has 3 different processors to choose from, each with their own unique differences.
- The Kanso 2 Processor
- The Nucleus ® 7 Processor
- Nucleus 7 ® Sound Processor with Hybrid Hearing
Made for iPhone
The Cochlear Nucleus ® 7 Sound Processor is a made for iPhone cochlear implant sound processor. With the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor, you can control your hearing and conveniently connect to the people you love by streaming phone calls, music, and videos directly from your smartphone!
If you use an Andriod device or another smartphone, you can stream phone calls, music and more directly to your Nucleus 7 Sound Processor by using the True Wireless Phone Clip.
You can also take control of your hearing from the palm of your hand with the Nucleus ® Smart App that allows you to:
- Adjust settings and change programs
- Access personalized hearing information with the Hearing Tracker
- Monitor battery life
- Locate a missing sound processor
If you’re an adult with moderate to profound hearing loss in both ears, and are not receiving enough benefit for hearing aids, you may be a candidate for a cochlear implant. Please contact us for an evaluation or to learn more.
To learn more about cochlear implants, you can also visit the official Cochlear America website: (https://www.cochlear.com)
Images and content provided courtesy of Cochlear Americas, © 2021 Cochlear Americas.
