Meet the team who designed the Cochlear™ Baha® SoundArc, the new non-surgical bone conduction wearing option for pediatric patients. Learn how the engineers and designers drove innovation and filled the gap of a product that has never existed.
Meet the team who designed the Cochlear™ Baha® SoundArc
Jamie Schwartz
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Cochlear™ Osia® System becomes industry’s first active bone conduction system to enable MRI at 3 Tesla
- The new Osia® System with Osia OSI300 Implant enables patients to undergo MRI at 3.0 Tesla (T) without the need for surgery
- This has been made possible by the OSI300’s unique Piezo Power™ technology and next-generation 3.0 T magnet technology
- The Osia System, which launched in 2019, is indicated for people with conductive hearing loss, mixed hearing loss and single-sided sensorineural deafness (SSD)
Lone Tree, Colo. (August 18, 2023) – Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH), the global leader in implantable hearing solutions, introduces its next generation Cochlear™ Osia® System with the ability to have an MRI at 3.0 T, designed to improve hearing outcomes for people with conductive hearing loss, mixed hearing loss and single-sided sensorineural deafness (SSD).
The new Osia System offers the proven benefits as the current version: excellent hearing outcomes1, ease of use, discreetness and reliability2. With the introduction of the OSI300 Implant, it is the first and only active bone conduction system that allows patients to undergo MRI scans at both 1.5 T and 3.0 T without the need for surgery3. This new patient benefit is made possible by combining the unique properties of the Osia System’s Piezo Power™ transducer, which does not contain magnetic material, and the next generation in implant magnet technology.
The OSI300 Implant is specifically designed to support access to MRI with no performance degradation after MRI exposure4,5, as there is nothing to be demagnetized as in an electromagnetic transducer. Unlike an axial magnet, which is found in most bone conduction implants today and is unsuitable for a patient undergoing an MRI examination at 3.0 T, the OSI300 uses a diametric magnet that sits within a casing and rotates to align with the magnetic field of the MRI machine.
“Not only does the new design allow for MRI scans at 3.0 T without surgery or the need for a headwrap or splint kit; we have also designed the magnet cassette to be simple to remove if needed. The easy removal of the implant magnet reduces image artifact, an important consideration for maximum visibility of areas around the implant. Both features mean less MRI preparation time and less time without sound, which is beneficial to both recipients and professionals,” Ryan Lopez, Head of Portfolio Strategy & Professional Marketing at Cochlear, said.
Today, most people can expect to undergo an MRI scan at some point in their lifetime and having a hearing implant shouldn’t be an obstacle to this important healthcare treatment option.
“The use of 3.0 T scanners is increasing and becoming more common. 3.0 T scanners help in the proper diagnosis of many neurologic, orthopedic and oncology conditions. It is important that patients don’t face any obstacles to this type of care, and I am glad Cochlear has kept this in mind in their new Osia System,” Dr. Brian Kaplan, SVP, Global Clinical Strategy & Innovation at Cochlear, Chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology, and Director of the Cochlear Implant Program at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center, said.
Cochlear’s product portfolio is inspired by meaningful innovation and a core belief that technology is only as useful as the benefit it provides.
“An improvement in the ability of patients to undergo high-resolution MRI scans with our technology was the number one request we heard from customers. With the new system, patients with an active bone conduction system can conveniently undergo MRI at 1.5 T and at 3.0 T with no impact to their hearing – MRI should be accessible to everyone” says Dig Howitt, Chief Executive Officer & President of Cochlear.
Launched in 2020, the Osia System is the world’s first active osseointegrated bone conduction (OSI), a new category of bone conduction hearing solutions that uses digital piezoelectric stimulation to bypass damaged areas of the natural hearing system to send sound vibrations directly to the inner ear (cochlea).
Commercial release
The next generation of the Osia System will be available in clinics across the United States this fall and is currently being reviewed by Health Canada. Availability in other countries is subject to regulatory approvals.
For further information on the Osia System, visit www.cochlear.com.
About Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH)
Cochlear is the global leader in implantable hearing solutions. The company has a global workforce of more than 4,000 people and invests more than AUD$180 million each year in research and development. Products include cochlear implants, bone conduction implants and acoustic implants, which healthcare professionals use to treat a range of moderate to profound types of hearing loss.
Since 1981, Cochlear has provided more than 700,000 implantable devices, helping people of all ages, in more than 180 countries, to hear. www.cochlear.com.
For further information, please contact:
Christy LaPlante, PR Manager at pr-cochlearamericas@cochlear.com
References
- Mylanus EAM, Hua H, Wigren S, et al. Multicenter Clinical Investigation of a New Active Osseointegrated Steady-State Implant System. Otol Neurotol. 2020;41(9):1249-1257. OSI100 Implant and Osia Sound Processor;B P110 Power on Softband
- Osia Reliability Report Flyer, Cochlear Limited. 2023; D1841762.
- Ellsperman SE, Nairn EM, Stucken EZ. Review of Bone Conduction Hearing Devices. Audiol Res. 2021;11(2):207-219.
- OSI300 1.5 T MRI Verification Summary Report. Cochlear Limited, Australia. 2023; D2084831.
- OSI300 3 T MRI Verification Summary Report. Cochlear Limited, Australia. 2023; D2084832.
Cochlear, 科利耳, コクレア, 코클리어, Hear now. And always, Osia, SmartSound, the elliptical logo, and marks bearing an ® or ™ symbol, are either trademarks or registered trademarks of the Cochlear group of companies (unless otherwise noted).
In the US, the Osia system is cleared for children 12 years and older. In Canada, the Osia system is approved for children 5 years of age and older.
© Cochlear Limited 2023. All rights reserved.
Staying Connected: Tips to help patients connect their Cochlear™ Nucleus® 7 and Baha® 5 Sound Processor(s) to their iPhone®
By Skylar Mason
Thanks to the Made for iPhone connectivity of the Cochlear™ Nucleus® 7 and Baha® 5 Sound Processors, staying connected is easier than ever. Your patients can stream calls, music, and other sounds straight from their phone to their sound processor.
Here are some ways to take your patients’ hearing to the next level with Cochlear’s Made for iPhone technology:
Pairing a sound processor to a phone is simple and Cochlear has made it even easier with video tutorials. Click the links below to watch the step-by-step process or follow the instructions below:
Pairing a Nucleus 7 Sound Processor:
Unlock the iPhone®. Go to ‘Settings,’ tap ‘General,’ and then tap ‘Accessibility.’ Navigate to ‘MFi Hearing Devices’. Then, turn the sound processor off and back on again. The Apple® device will then search for the sound processor and display it in the ‘Devices’ section. Tap on the name of the sound processor and it will bring up a Bluetooth® pairing request. Tap ‘Pair’ and it will connect. The patient will hear six beeps to indicate that pairing has started. The sound processor light will flash blue for four seconds. The pairing will be finished when your patient hears a ripple tone and the sound processor light flashes blue for another four seconds. (Note: The pairing process may take up to two minutes.)
If your patient is bilaterally implanted, both of the sound processors need to be paired at the same time. Just tap ‘Pair’ to connect each of them individually.
Pairing a Baha 5 Sound Processor:
Make sure the sound processor is turned off. Unlock the iPhone. Go to ‘Settings’, tap ‘General’ and then tap ‘Accessibility.’ Leave that page open as you turn on the sound processor (by closing the battery door.) Then navigate to ‘MFi Hearing Devices’.
Tap on the name of the sound processor and it will bring up a Bluetooth pairing request. Tap ‘Pair’ and it will connect. The sound processor will beep with an upward trill to indicate the pairing is complete. (Note: The pairing process may take up to two minutes.)
Share this illustrated guide to iPhone connectivity with a Baha 5 sound processor with your patients.
- Stream audio straight to the processor
Now that your patient’s iPhone is connected, they may be wondering exactly how to use it. The answer to that depends on how they use their iPhone—the possibilities are endless!
Here’s a few ideas to get started:
- Stream audio from phone calls directly to the sound processor
- FaceTime® without worrying about volume
- Listen to music discreetly- no headphones needed!
- Watch videos or shows from streaming apps
- Play games
- Use it to hear GPS directions clearly
- Utilize the Smart App
As part of the Made for iPhone connectivity, both the Nucleus 7 and Baha 5 sound processors have apps that allow patients to control their processor’s settings—directly from the palm of their hand.
The Nucleus Smart App allows them to monitor their battery life, adjust the mixing ratio to increase/decrease background noise, track their progress with a Hearing Tracker and locate a lost or misplaced sound processor.
The Baha 5 Smart App allows them to change programs, activate streaming and adjust their processor volume. They can also adjust treble and bass to customize their settings and locate a lost or misplaced sound processor.
The Cochlear website offers a ton of resources to help recipients connect their sound processor(s) to their phone—check it out: iPhone connectivity.
About our guest author:
Skylar Mason is a journalism student, Baha recipient, and Anders Tjellström Scholarship winner. She is excited to join the team at Cochlear as an intern to tell the stories of other CI and Baha recipients! She attends the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University.