Quick Tips: Cochlear Nucleus Depth Gauges

Dr. Dana Suskind, cochlear implant surgeon and author of Thirty Million Words, discusses the importance of a language-rich environment for children; including those with hearing loss and those who use cochlear implants. Dr. Suskind explains that implanting a child with a cochlear implant is the first step to hearing; however, a rich language environment is vital for allowing the child to reach their full hearing, speech and academic potential.

Hear from Dr. Suskind about the new feature with the Cochlear™ Nucleus® 7 Sound Processor and the Nucleus® Smart App called, Hearing Tracker. With Hearing Tracker, Dr. Suskind says, “Parents are going to have the power, within their own hands, to see the language environment their children are going to be exposed to. And then, impact it!”

Hearing Tracker records and displays data on a bar graph that is easy for the recipient, or parents, to interpret. This function tracks and plots the following factors separately per side:

• Time in Speech – refers to the amount of time during a day that the recipient is in an environment that contains speech.
• Coil Offs – refers to the number of times in a day the sound processor coil is disconnected from the patient’s implant.

Watch the new TECH Talks video from Dr. Dana Suskind and stay tuned for additional TECH Talks from other industry experts.

In his latest TECH Talk, Bill Shapiro Au.D., Supervising Audiologist of the NYU Cochlear Implant Center, discusses the importance of thinking ‘Beyond One Ear’.

Dr. Shapiro explains that evolving candidacy criteria and technology development mean that professional understanding and patient counseling regarding either a bilateral or bimodal solution is critical to maximizing patient outcomes.

Focusing on the experience of his patient, Dr. Shapiro describes the case of a unilateral Nucleus™ implant recipient who was fitted with a ReSound hearing aid on the contralateral side (known as a Cochlear™ Smart Bimodal solution) Over the course of the first year, the patient continued to experience improved outcomes, including a ‘bimodal bump’ from the hearing aid. Recently she started to have reduced performance on the non-implanted side, so Dr. Shapiro will soon see her for a sequential evaluation and expects she will likely move to a bilateral implant.  He feels this is a reasonable progression and that professionals and patients should always consider how to maximize the performance of both ears.

Dr. Shapiro continues on to suggest that audiologists should refer anyone that may be a candidate to a cochlear implant center, stressing that even patients with one better ear may benefit from a cochlear implant. “You cannot over-refer,” says Dr. Shapiro, reinforcing that with expanding criteria and developing technology, cochlear implantation should be considered as a treatment pathway.

For more TECH Talk videos from industry experts, including additional ‘Beyond One Ear’ content from Dr. Shapiro, please stay up-to-date with the Cochlear ProNews blog and visit our TECH Talks page.

© Cochlear Limited 2019. All rights reserved. Hear now. And always and other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of Cochlear Limited or Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions AB. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Please seek advice from your health professional about treatments for hearing loss. Outcomes may vary, and your health professional will advise you about the factors which could affect your outcome. Always read the instructions for use. Not all products are available in all countries. Please contact your local Cochlear representative for product information. Views expressed are those of the individual. Consult your health professional to determine if you are a candidate for Cochlear technology.