Cochlear Implants
by Cochlear Guest Author

The benefits of upgrading to new technology

November 5, 2020
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By Allison Biever, AuD, Rocky Mountain Ear Center

Why upgrade to newer technology? Dr. Biever shares her experience working with cochlear implant recipients to maximize hearing outcomes.

Next to the joy of sharing a recipient’s first moments of hearing with their cochlear implant is the wonder of watching a recipient experience upgraded technology as they frequently exhibit emotions of gratitude, disbelief, giddiness and utter delight.

Upgraded technology helps provide recipients with better hearing and new freedoms. When recipients get upgraded to technology that allows them to stream music and phone calls wirelessly, I often hear, “You mean you can’t hear what I am hearing?”  Bilateral recipients have often had to use speaker phone on their cell phones to enjoy a call or listen to music with both ears. The expectation is that everyone is privy to their phone calls and hearing their music.

Moreover, patients tend to report that sound quality is also better when streaming phone calls, and it’s easier to understand the caller and look more relaxed talking to the caller. One of my adult recipients reported that after getting upgraded to new processors, he decided to create his first playlist because for the first time in his life – music sounded so good!

Upgraded technology can demonstrate additional benefits with regard to wearability. For example, some of my recipients are excited to now make it through the day on a single battery charge. Patients have also reported benefits due to the improved size and weight of the processor. Previously, playing sports, dancing or even doing yoga could be difficult because the size and weight of the processors prevented the processor from sitting securely on their ear. 

One unexpected benefit of upgraded technology is that recipients may now make important processor adjustments which can improve their hearing ability or comfort with sound. Historically, if recipients needed significantly more volume or less treble for example, they needed to come back to the implant program so adjustments could be made.  With current upgraded technology and use of the Nucleus® Smart App, patients can have increased volume capabilities.

From an audiologist’s perspective, it has been amazing to see the improvements in technology that have taken place over the past 20 years. The future looks bright and undoubtedly, sounds better than ever!

To learn more about upgraded technology, visit our website!

This article expresses the experience and opinions of Allison Biever.

The Cochlear Nucleus 7 Sound Processor is compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Apple, the Apple logo, FaceTime, Made for iPad logo, Made for iPhone logo, Made for iPod logo, iPhone, iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad mini, iPad and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. The Cochlear Nucleus Smart App is available on App Store and Google Play. For complete smartphone compatibility information, please visit www.cochlear.com/compatibility.

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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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Survey reveals hearing loss can significantly affect relationships and families in the U.S.

May 1, 2019

Research updates

State of Hearing Report highlights the physical, emotional and societal challenges of hearing loss

Centennial, Colo. (May 1, 2019) — Three in four U.S. adults aged 65 years and older believe hearing loss is unavoidable and an inevitable part of aging, according to a new global report released to recognize Better Hearing and Speech Month in May.

The State of Hearing Report also highlights how hearing loss can affect a person’s day-to-day-life, self-esteem and ability to communicate as their families feel the strain. In the U.S., 57 percent of respondents said it could cause social isolation and 86 percent said it could affect relationships.

Sponsored by Cochlear, the global leader in implantable hearing solutions, the State of Hearing Report was a global survey to evaluate the challenges faced by people with hearing loss. Respondents in the U.S. included 1,269 adults, including 208 people aged 60 years and older. Notably, nearly 60 percent of people in the U.S. report having a close family member who has moderate to profound hearing loss, with more than one in three of those respondents stating that the hearing loss has had some level of impact on their communication.

“Results from the State of Hearing Report echo what physicians and advocacy groups who support those with hearing loss have known for many years – that hearing loss can have a profound impact on an individual’s personal, family and even professional life,” said Barbara Kelley, Executive Director, Hearing Loss Association of America. “These findings shine a spotlight on the serious need for additional education for the 48 million Americans who have some degree of hearing loss, but are unaware of options that will address their hearing loss and allow them to better function in their day-to-day lives.”

Despite 95 percent of U.S. respondents recognizing that the ability to hear is important for overall quality of life, only 41 percent have had a hearing test in the last two years, the report reveals. Among U.S. respondents over the age of 65 years, 87 percent said they knew where to get their hearing tested, but only 50 percent had acted to do so.

“As a practicing cochlear implant surgeon, I see first-hand both the burden debilitating hearing loss can have on a person and their family, but also the apathy with which they manage it,” said Brian Kaplan, M.D., Chairman, Department of Otolaryngology and Director, Cochlear Implant Program, Greater Baltimore (Md.) Medical Center, and Cochlear Medical Advisor. “There are millions of people in the U.S. who could benefit from the use of a hearing device, such as a cochlear implant or hearing aid, and I hope that more education around the true effect of hearing loss will drive patients and providers to seek proper diagnostic testing and treatment.”

Hearing loss is a significant public health issue in the U.S. and around the globe. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), hearing loss affects 466 million people worldwide,1 and one in three people over the age of 65 live with severe to profound forms of the condition.1 WHO figures also predict the total number of people living with hearing loss will nearly double by 2050, and this increase will be most noticeable amongst older people.1 Moreover, as the prevalence rates rise, the global cost of unaddressed hearing loss has been estimated at $750 billion per year.1

“At Cochlear, we are driven by our mission to improve the lives of people with hearing loss. There is increasing evidence of the importance of hearing to overall health, especially as people age,” said Patricia Trautwein, AuD, Vice President, Marketing and Product Management, Cochlear Americas. “With almost a quarter of people 65 to 74 years of age suffering disabling hearing loss, it is more important than ever to understand the impact of untreated hearing loss on people’s health, our communities and the economy to ensure people turn to treatment sooner.”

The research of Cochlear’s State of Hearing Report coincides with the launch of its Sounds Inevitable campaign, which highlights the misperceptions many people have about hearing loss being an inevitable part of aging, leading to irregular hearing check-ups and delayed treatment.

About State of Hearing Report

The State of Hearing Report 2019 is the result of a five-minute, online survey among a representative sample of n=7,275 adults aged 18 year and older in five countries, including Australia, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Important global trends emerged about perspectives of how hearing affects individuals and communities after speaking with more than 7,200 people, including more than 1,000 aged 60 years and older with hearing loss. In the U.S., the nationally representative cohort included n=1,061 general population respondents and 208 respondents aged 60 years and older. The survey was fielded between December 12-30, 2018.

About Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH)

Cochlear is the global leader in implantable hearing solutions. The company has a global workforce of more than 3,500 people and invests more than AUD$160 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 550,000 implantable devices, helping people of all ages, in more than 100 countries, to hear.

References
  1. World Health Organization. Deafness & Hearing Loss Factsheet. Available at https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/deafness-and-hearing-loss [Last accessed Feb 2019]
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.
© Cochlear Limited 2019. All rights reserved. Cochlear, Hear now. And always, Nucleus, Baha, the elliptical logo and marks bearing an ® or ™ symbol, are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions AB or Cochlear Limited (unless otherwise noted).
Nucleus 7 Sound Processor

New research shows benefits of using advanced technology

January 27, 2022

Give your patients access to significantly better sound

Hearing in a noisy world remains one of the biggest challenges for cochlear implant recipients. Speech recognition nearly always involves listening in background noise, often with dynamic sources and different presentation levels.1

In a new real-world study, recipients found speech to be significantly clearer in everyday listening environments when they upgraded their current Cochlear™ SPrint™, ESPrit™, Freedom®, Nucleus® 5 or Nucleus 6 Sound Processor to the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor.2

Superior speech recognition benefits

In real-world acoustic environments, where competing dynamic noise originates from the sides and behind the listener, the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor with ForwardFocus† enabled, provided on average a 7.54 dB superior speech recognition benefit^ compared to the participants’ current sound processor, when used with their preferred program for listening in noise every day.2

Significant self-perceived benefits

The Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale3-5 (SSQ-12*) questionnaire self-perceived results showed that the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor provided significant benefit compared with the participants’ existing sound processors in their daily listening environments.2

Our most advanced sound processing technology

The Nucleus 7 Sound Processor features:

  • SmartSound® iQ with SCAN using dual microphone technology, designed to help your patients automatically hear better in a range of challenging environments. ∞
  • ForwardFocus is designed to reduce distracting noise from behind, making it easier for your patients to focus on face-to-face conversation. †

By accessing a next generation Nucleus 7 Sound Processor, your patients can benefit from advances in technology that help them enjoy clearer conversation, even in challenging and noisy listening environments.

To find out more about the patient benefits of upgrading to the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor, visit our website.

1 Hey M, Hocke T, Böhnke B, Mauger SJ. ForwardFocus with cochlear implant recipients in spatially separated and fluctuating competing signals – introduction of a reference metric. Int J Audiol. 2019;58(12):869-878.

2 Zhang J, Morgan C, Deng XC, Wang Y, Lee M.  Hearing Performance Outcomes in Cochlear Implant Users after Nucleus® 7 Sound Processor Fitting. ACI Alliance Conference Poster. April 2021.

3 Gatehouse S, Noble W. The Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ). Int J Audiol. 2004;43(2):85–99.
4 Noble W, Jen-sen NS, Naylor G, Bhullar N, Akeroyd MA. A short form of the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing scale suitable for clinical use: the SSQ12. Int J Audiol. 2013 Jun; 52(6): 409–412.
5 Liu J, Zhang J, Wang N, Li H, Fu X, Guo X, Fu L. Validation of the Chinese Translation of Speech, Spatial and Other Qualities of Hearing Scale for Parents. CN J. Otol. 2021; April In press. DOI: 10.3969 / j. issn. 1672-2922.2018

* Adults used Adult SSQ-12 and Children used P-SSQ-12. References 3-5.

^ Measured as a group mean SRT improvement.

† ForwardFocus can only be enabled by a hearing implant specialist. It should only be activated for users 12 years and older who are able to reliably provide feedback on sound quality and understand how to use the feature when moving to different or changing environments.  It may be possible to have decreased speech understanding when using ForwardFocus in a quiet environment.

∞SNR-NR, WNR and SCAN are approved for use with any recipient ages 6 years and older who is able to 1) complete objective speech perception testing in quiet and in noise in order to determine and document performance 2) report a preference for different program settings.

In this study, Mandarin-speaking Chinese recipients were assessed using their current sound processor (ESPrit™, Sprint™, Freedom®, Nucleus 5 and Nucleus 6) then again after up to one-month use with the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor.

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©Cochlear Limited 2024. All rights reserved. ACE, Advance Off-Stylet, AOS, Ardium, AutoNRT, Autosensitivity, Baha, Baha SoftWear, BCDrive, Beam, Bring Back the Beat, Button, Carina, Cochlear, 科利耳, コクレア, 코클리어, Cochlear SoftWear, Contour, コントゥア, Contour Advance, Custom Sound, DermaLock, Freedom, Hear now. And always, Hugfit, Human Design, Hybrid, Invisible Hearing, Kanso, LowPro, MET, MP3000, myCochlear, mySmartSound, NRT, Nucleus, Osia, Outcome Focused Fitting, Off-Stylet, Piezo Power, Profile, Slimline, SmartSound, Softip, SoundArc, True Wireless, the elliptical logo, Vistafix, Whisper, WindShield and Xidium are either trademarks or registered trademarks of the Cochlear group of companies. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

 

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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