A cochlear implant is an electronic device that allows many people who’ve experienced hearing loss to hear their best. For many who’ve never heard before, they experience hearing for the very first time. It’s different than a hearing aid, which amplifies incoming sound to make it loud enough for an impaired ear to hear.
Using state-of-the-art technology, a cochlear implant bypasses the damaged part of an ear and sends electrical signals directly to the brain via the hearing nerve. Cochlear implants are currently the only medical technology able to functionally restore one of the five senses, which is why many physicians refer to cochlear implants as “technological miracles.”
How does a Cochlear Implant Work?
A cochlear implant consists of two main components. The external component, the sound processor, which can be worn on the outer ear or discreetly on the body, and the internal component, the implant, which delivers sound to the hearing nerve.
The implant’s function is to receive the transmitted digital information from the headpiece and convert that information into electrical signals that travel down the electrode array, which is inserted into the inner ear, or cochlea. The array’s electrodes directly stimulate the auditory nerve, which sends impulses to the brain, where they’re interpreted as sound.
Experience the Ultimate Implant Performance
The HiRes 90KTM implant features the most advanced sound processing circuitry in the world. Its sophisticated design provides unsurpassed programming flexibility, nearly unlimited ways to deliver sound, the industry’s highest case impact resistance, and full upgradeability for access to tomorrow’s innovations without surgery.1 Choosing AB allows you or your child to benefit from tomorrow’s technology with today’s implant.
“As an engineer, I was looking for the implant that was the most technologically advanced and a company that would continually look to maximize performance. AB is all that and more.”
It’s What’s Inside that Counts
The size and outward appearance of your cochlear implant system won’t help you or your child hear any better. To hear your best, you need what’s best on the inside. When you choose a cochlear implant system from AB, you benefit from a superior internal technology now and external upgradeability for the future so that your hearing advances as the technology does—without the need for surgery. You can count on new innovations from AB to improve your quality of life.
Reliability You Can Count On
Made to last, AB cochlear implants implanted today demonstrate excellent reliablity with a 99.8% one-year cumulative survival rate (CSR),2 a measure that defines the likelihood of a device continuing to function over time. That remarkable number reflects manufacturing changes implemented by the Quality Assurance system in 2005, which made the HiRes 90K implant significantly more reliable over time than previous devices. You can rest assured that an AB cochlear implant will continue to work so that you may always hear your best.
Country Selector
Country Selector
© 2011 Advanced Bionics, LLC and its affiliates. All right reserved.