Cochlear Implants
by Cochlear Guest Author

Clinical Quick Tips: Optimizing your CI fittings with the Cochlear™ Wireless Programming Pod (guest author)

October 26, 2017
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By guest author: Rebecca Cale, AuD

Rebecca Cale, AuD

The Cochlear™ Wireless Programming Pod (WPP) offers an improved fitting experience helping you interact with your patients in a more natural and comfortable way while untethering your patient from your computer. Wireless programming is available for Nucleus® 5, Nucleus® 6, Kanso® and Nucleus® 7 Sound Processor using Custom Sound® 5.0.

To optimize your CI fitting experience:

  1. Ensure your WPP is properly paired to your computer. This requires:
    1. Bluetooth 4.0 as the minimum standard for the WPP. If your computer does not have built-in Bluetooth, or the current drivers installed for other hardware are not Bluetooth 4.0 use the Bluetooth Adapter from Cochlear.
    2. During initial pairing, close Custom Sound. Good software practices encourage all software applications be closed during installation or Bluetooth pairing.
  2. Prior to your fitting, determine which programming pods to use. Custom Sound® can only “see” two programming pods at a time. You may need to detach wired programming pods prior to pairing. If you have two wired pods connected to the programming computer and you would like to use a WPP, you will need to detach at least one of them prior to opening Custom Sound.
  3. Always use a fully-charged, standard rechargeable battery to power the WPP. Do not use the patient’s rechargeable battery as it may not be fully-charged and it may be depleted during the fitting session.
  4. Ensure the WPP and computer are within 9 feet of each another with a clean line-of-sight between the two devices.
  5. When you open Custom Sound, the WPP should be powered by the rechargeable battery first, then the sound processor connected to the powered WPP (in that order!). Ensure that the WPP and Sound Processor appear in the status bar of Custom Sound before proceeding with the programming session.
  6. Never share WPPs between computers. If a WPP has previously been paired with another computer, you must “forget the device“ in the Bluetooth pairing process prior to pairing with another computer. If you do not unpair the WPP from the previous computer, Custom Sound will continually search for the WPP each time the software is opened.

By using these steps, you can optimize your fitting experience with the Wireless Programming Pod, which provides a more convenient connection to your patient’s sound processor.

Learn more about the Wireless Programming Pod.

About our guest author:

Rebecca Cale, AuD, is a Senior Clinical Technical Manager for Cochlear America. Rebecca joined Cochlear in March of 2012. In her current role, Rebecca is responsible for providing education and training to professionals working with cochlear implants, along with assisting in the clinical care of Cochlear Implant and Baha recipients. Rebecca received her Doctorate of Audiology from East Tennessee State University (ETSU). She currently resides in Reno, Nevada.

The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Cochlear is under license.
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Cochlear Guest Author

In an effort to keep our content fresh and reflective of a diverse industry, Cochlear Americas features a mix of employees and professional partners to contribute to Cochlear ProNews as Guest Authors.

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World Hearing Day 2020

March 3, 2020

March 3rd is World Hearing Day and we’re proud to partner with you to champion hearing health in your practice and around the globe.

Do your patient know their numbers?

Hearing loss is one of the most common chronic medical conditions in the United States, with the prevalence of hearing loss doubling with each age decade.1  And as hearing health professionals, we know that awareness and action around hearing health is essential to maintaining an active and independent lifestyle as we age. 

Unsurprisingly, while 20/20 ‘normal’ vision is an almost universally recognized measure, a recent survey demonstrates that few have been introduced to the concept of hearing 20/20 as a hearing health benchmark (20dB PTA at 250, 500, 1000hz).2

In fact, this survey of 1250 individuals aged 50-80 reveals that 79% are unaware of a standard definition of normal hearing and only 27% indicate they will have their hearing evaluated in the next 12 months.2

Hearing 2020 – a call to action for hearing health awareness!

By building awareness around ‘normal’ hearing, patients and their primary healthcare providers may enact more proactive, preventive measures to ensure hearing loss is identified and treated early and appropriately.

Join us in making Hearing 2020 a meaningful measure! Visit this website to access valuable tools and resources to spread the word.

References:

  1. Lin F, Niparko J, Ferrucci L. Hearing loss prevalence in the United States. Arch Intern Med. 2011;171:1851-1852.
  2. Berland, Shoen & Penn. Data on file. PSB Research. March 13, 2019.
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Don’t wait! Consider earlier implantation for your patients

March 7, 2019

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 5% of the world’s population, 466 million people, have a disabling hearing loss. They estimate by 2050, this number is expected to rise to over 900 million people or one in every 10 people.1 As the incidence of hearing loss continues to increase, clinical evidence supports early intervention for cochlear implantation. Shortening the duration of hearing loss by implanting before hearing loss progresses to profound within approved indications can maximize outcomes, increase outcome predictability and promote health and quality of life.2 Moreover, as cognitive decline becomes increasingly relevant within our aging population, hearing loss may be shifting from something we cope with and manage to something we recognize and treat.

Many people believe that cochlear implants are only indicated for those with severe to profound hearing loss and only once hearing aid benefit is gone. However, this notion is no longer true due to the expanded adult indications for cochlear implants. Cochlear implants are indicated for treatment of adults with moderate sloping to profound hearing loss. Even the most advanced or best-fit hearing aids may not be enough. In fact, Balkany et. al showed that 20% of hearing aid users are struggling.3 This population may still receive benefit from cochlear implants. Cochlear implants provide an alternative for patients who want to improve their hearing health instead of continuing to struggle with hearing aids or waiting to progress to deafness. For patients who score less than 40% on open-set word tests, there is a high likelihood they will benefit from a CI.4

FactorsCochlear implants can improve quality of life and overall health of recipients. Better hearing with a CI can increase a patient’s overall quality of life, allowing them to regain confidence in social situations. In 19 clinical studies that measured quality of life for adults after cochlear implantation, all reported a significant improvement.5 Hearing health with a cochlear implant could also lead to better overall health. For patients with severe to profound hearing loss, cochlear implantation has been associated with reduced anxiety and depression and improved overall health.6

For seniors, considering cochlear implantation treatment for hearing loss is especially important. As we start to better understand the link between disabling hearing loss and cognitive decline, social isolation and depression, there is growing evidence of the superior outcomes of cochlear implants over hearing aids for people with severe hearing loss (>70dB).7 Cochlear implants may also slow age-related cognitive decline with improvements seen in verbal memory after surgery.8

“A lot of people ignore hearing loss because it’s such a slow and insidious process as we age. Even if people feel they are not affected, we are showing that it may well be a more serious problem.”
– Frank Lin, M.D.

For more details on early intervention and cochlear implantation, please download the Don’t Wait: Health Benefits of Earlier Implantation brochure.

Resources:
1. Data source: World Health Organization, www.who.it/deafness/en/
2. Derinsu U, Yüksel M, Geçici CR, Çiprut A, Akdeniz E. Effects of residual speech and auditory deprivation on speech perception of adult cochlear implant recipients.
3. Balkany et al (2007) Nucleus Freedom North American clinical trial. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, 136:757-762
4. Gubbels et al (2016) Can routine office-based audiometry predict cochlear implant evaluation results? Laryngoscope, 127:216-222.
5. Gaylor, BA. Raman, G. Chung, M. Cochlear Implantation in Adults. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2018 Mar;139(3):265-72.
6. Manrique-Huarte R et al (2016) Treatment for Hearing Loss Among the Elderly: Auditory outcomes and impact on quality of life. Audiology Neurotology, 21 Suppl 1:29-25.
7. Hoppe U, Hocke T, Hast A, Hornung J. [Longterm Results of a Screening Procedure for Adult Cochlear Implant Candidates]. Laryngo- Rhino- Otologie [serial on the Internet]. (2017, Apr), [cited July 4, 2018]; 96(4): 234-238.
8. Cosetti MK (2016) Neurocognitive Testing and Cochlear Implantation: Insights into performance in older adults. Clin Interv Aging, 11:603-13.
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This material is intended for health professionals. If you are a consumer, 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.

 

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