Introducing NEW Cochlear™ Nucleus® Profile™ Plus Series Cochlear Implants - Cochlear ProNews (2023)

By Natasha McDougald, Product Manager, Bimodal and Hybrid Hearing

Discussions about the importance of acoustic input from both ears in people with hearing loss began in 1985 as a key discussion with Schroers and his team.¹Since then, research has been carried out in the acoustic and electrical (cochlear implant) domains, with more recent articles addressing electrical and acoustic hearing contributing to the bimodal state.

Dr Jennifer Schumacher, speech therapist at GN Hearing, recently wrote a white paper supporting thisBenefits of bimodal hearing. She highlights key benefits for patients in the bimodal state in everyday listening environments and discusses recent research showing improvements in speech understanding with the addition of a hearing aid compared to using a cochlear implant alone in quiet and noisy environments.^2-4

The real benefit was not limited to speech performance results only, but also improvements in nominal satisfaction with sound quality and spatial awareness.⁵These results are parallel to the Cochlear results.multicenter studywith the Modiolar Slim Electrode, where patients experienced a 40 percentage point increase in CNC words in silence and a 24 percentage point improvement in sounds.⁶

Additionally, Cochlear Study participants showed an improvement in reported satisfaction with their listening performance. In the preoperative period, only 9% of the individuals stated that they were satisfied with the use of bilateral hearing aids. Postoperatively, 95% of subjects completed a questionnaire about device use to be satisfied with their overall hearing when using a bimodal solution.⁶

Speech understanding with cochlear implant and hearing aid (N=94)

** p = < 0,001

While some patients benefit from a bimodal fit, the amount varies from person to person, and others may be amenable to bilateral cochlear implants. Factors that may affect this result include the consistent practice of acoustic matching of the opposite ear for unilateral cochlear implant users and the magnitude of auditory benefit obtained through acoustic input.

Schumacher mentions that participants in the New York University School of Medicine study by Neuman et al. In 2017, they were more likely to stop using hearing aids when they had worsening mid-to-high frequency hearing loss in the non-implanted ear and no significant improvement in speech understanding with the addition of the hearing aid. In addition to the discussed factors, she postulates that the ideal hearing aid fit can contribute to the success of bimodal hearing.⁷

The author provides theAlliance for Smart Hearing, a collaboration between Cochlear and ReSound to develop hearing solutions that meet the advanced innovation needs of patients and professionals. Cochlear and ReSound have released an updatecorrect processwith simple steps designed to maximize audibility, with conversation-controlled volume equalization and assists the audiologist in choosing different fitting bases, including ReSound's patented Audiogram+. It also provides instructions on how to enable wireless direct transfer and helps you configure wireless accessories.

The Smart Hearing Alliance's implementation of connectivity allows patients to stream directly to either ear from compatible smartphones. Furthermore, independent studies have confirmed that the use of wireless accessories improves a bimodal patient's speech understanding on the cell phone and provides improvements in the signal-to-noise ratio, which can help with speech understanding in noisy environments.^8-9

The new ReSound ENZO Q™ BTE hearing aid for severe to profound hearing loss may be particularly suited to the needs of bimodal patients. It features an improved chip that makes it possibledirect connectivitycompatible with Apple® or Android™ smartphones* and has an IP rating of 68 and is fully nano-coated to improve moisture resistance and increase durability. To enable high-quality amplification of the wide range of everyday sounds, the ReSound ENZO Q 98 model features a wider input dynamic range, reaching up to 113 dB SPL and a maximum output power of 145 SPL. Bimodal patients who wish to travel less or who are seen by a separate cochlear implant audiologist and HCP can use ReSound Smart 3D^MTApp on your compatible smartphones to use ReSound Assist Live for synchronous live support or remote requests for fine-tuning hearing aids via the asynchronous ReSound Assist feature. These types of remote capabilities can be particularly helpful for patients and their physicians as they navigate this new patient care paradigm.

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About the author:Natasha has been with Cochlear Americas for nearly 9 years, working with physicians and surgeons at the University of Miami, UCSF, Stanford, UC Davis and UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital of Oakland to provide cochlear implants to pediatric and adult patients. Natasha is extremely passionate and involved both professionally and personally in the implantable hearing aid industry and strives to further the cause of those affected by hearing loss.

References:

1. Schroers, K. K. & Olsen, W.O. (1985). Comparison of the use of mono and binaural hearing aids in an experimental period. Ear and Hearing, 6(4), 198-202
2. Potts LG, Skinner MW, Litovsky RA, Strube MJ, Kuk F. Speech recognition and localization of adult cochlear implant users wearing a digital hearing aid in the non-implanted ear (bimodal hearing). Journal of the American Academy of Audiology. 2009;20(6):353-73.
3. Ching TY, Incerti P, Hill M. Binaural benefits for adults wearing hearing aids and cochlear implants in opposite ears. ear and hearing. 2004;25(1):9-21.
4. Ching TY, Van Wanrooy E, Dillon H. Binaural bimodal fitting or bilateral implantation for the treatment of severe to profound deafness: a review. reinforcement trends. 2007;11(3):161-92.
5. Schafer EC, Amlani AM, Paiva D, Nozari L, Verret S. A meta-analysis comparing speech recognition in noise with bilateral cochlear implants and bimodal stimulation. International Journal of Audiology. 2011;50(12):871-80.
6. Meeting of Investigators on Clinical Evaluation of the Cochlear Nucleus CI532 Cochlear Implants in Adults. April 2019
7. Neuman AC, Waltzman SB, Shapiro WH, Neukam JD, Zeman AM, Svirsky MA. Self-reported use, functional benefit and audiological characteristics of cochlear implant patients using a contralateral hearing aid. auditory tendencies. 2017;21:1-14.
8. Wolfe J, Morais M, Schafer E. Speech recognition of bimodal cochlear implant users using a wireless telephone audio streaming accessory. Otology and Otoneurology. 2016;37(2):20-5.
9. Vroegop JL, Dingemanse JG, Homans NC, Goedegebure A. Evaluation of a remote wireless microphone in bimodal cochlear implant users. International Journal of Audiology. 2017;56(9):643-9.

The Cochlear Nucleus 7 Sound Processor is compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Apple, the Apple logo, FaceTime, the Made for iPad logo, the Made for iPhone logo, the Made for iPod logo, iPhone, iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad mini, iPad and iPod touch are US registered trademarks of Apple Inc and other countries

The Cochlear Nucleus Smart App is available on the App Store and Google Play. For complete information on smartphone compatibility, visitwww.cochlear.com/compatibility.

App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc., registered in the US and other countries.

Android and Google Play are registered trademarks of Google Inc.

The Android robot is reproduced or modified from work created and shared by Google and used according to terms described in the Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution License.

Introducing the Nucleus® Smart Appfor iPhone®, iPad® and iPod touch®.

Die Nucleus Smart Application– co-developed with Made for iPhoneNucleus® 7 Soundprozessor¹- Gives recipients control over how they connect to the world. This innovative new app includes highly anticipated features such as Find my Sound Processor, setting control and data logging.

One of the coolest features of the Nucleus Smart App is the Find My Sound Processor feature. Receivers and parents can use the Nucleus Smart App to determine where the sound processor and Apple device were last connected. The app uses Apple's location services, a combination of cellular, Wi-Fi and GPS, to determine your location. This saves your patient a headache when replacing the sound processor.

The Nucleus Smart App revolutionizes the way cochlear implant users connect with the world, giving them the ability to control their hearing preferences in a variety of different settings. This gives the receiver the best possible sound quality at the push of a button.

• Volume Control Adjustment – ​​Sensitivity, Treble, Bass and Master Volume Limit can now be adjusted bilaterally or individually by your patient.
• Program Shift - The sound processor automatically switches between programs depending on environmental conditions.
• True Wireless Freedom™- Stream from different audio sources and adjust the volume of each one individually.
• Battery Status: Check the remaining battery charges.
• Nucleus 7 Sound Processor Control: Parents can lock their child's sound processor buttons and lights from their paired iPhone.

The hearing tracker records the data and displays it in a bar graph that is easy for the receiver to interpret. This feature tracks and records the following factors separately, side by side:

• Talk Time: Refers to the time during the day that the recipient is in an environment that contains speech.
• Coil Offs: Refers to the number of times the recipient removes the sound processor from the implant in a day.

Cochlear is pleased to introduce this new app that makes it easier for your patients to take control of how they hear and connect to the world. Download the app for free! Try it out in demo mode to familiarize yourself with all the new features the app offers. For an interactive online demoClick here.

Reference:

[1] Apple Inc. Using hearing aids made for iPhone [Internet]. Apple support. 2017 [cited in August 2017]. Available from: https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT201466.

© Cochlear Limited 2017. All rights reserved. Hear Now And Always and other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of Cochlear Limited.

Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the US and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc.

See your doctor for advice on treating your hearing loss. They can advise you on a suitable solution for your hearing loss. All products are to be used only as directed by your physician or healthcare professional.

Nucleus 7 is compatible with iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone SE, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5, iPad Pro (12.9 Zoll), iPad Pro ( 9.7 -inches), iPad Air 2, iPad Air, iPad mini 4, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 2, iPad mini, iPad (4toGeneration), iPod touch (6togeneration) and iPod touch (5togeneration) with iOS 10.X or higher. Apple, the Apple logo, Made for iPhone, iPhone, iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad mini, iPad and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the US and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc., registered in the US and other countries.