Cochlear Implants
by Cochlear Guest Author

Cochlear™ remains #1 in implant reliability according to latest report

May 28, 2019
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By Wade Colburn, Product Manager, Cochlear Implants at Cochlear Americas

For almost 40 years, Cochlear has partnered with professionals across the globe to guide individuals with hearing loss into the world of sound.

Today, the Cochlear™ Nucleus® system is the most implanted cochlear implant device with more than 379,000 implants globally1, keeping people connected to the world, and each other, through sound.

During the initial stages of the patient journey, choosing an implant system is an important decision and product reliability is a primary consideration. While candidates seek a device that delivers high sound quality performance and cutting-edge technology for connectivity, they also want the peace of mind that their implant will stand the test of time.

To demonstrate Cochlear’s ongoing commitment to a lifetime of sound, device reliability reporting is completed and published annually according to the European and Global Consensus Statement on Cochlear Implant Failures and Explantations2. This widely recognized resource established the seven principles of best practice reporting and details how device failures and reliability should be reported to maintain uniformity and consistency across manufacturers.

The most recent Cochlear implant reliability report (Volume 17) is now available and maintains consistently high ratings across the product portfolio.  The Cochlear Profile Series demonstrates a cumulative survival percentage (CSP) of 99.82% within 5 years of implantation, while the Cochlear Freedom Series remains at 99.00% within 14 years1.  These market-leading results validate that Cochlear continues to be not only the most implanted manufacturer, but also the most reliable. Applying the globally sanctioned quality reporting standards to devices from other cochlear implant manufacturers demonstrates this fact:

  • Cochlear Profile: 1 in 556 devices fail within 5 years1
  • Advanced Bionics® HiRes™ 90K Advantage: 1 in 141 devices fail within 5 years3
  • MED-EL® SYNCHRONY: 1 in 55 devices fail within 3 years4

Constantly striving to improve reliability is a cornerstone of Cochlear’s implant design process and is among the most important features patients consider when selecting a cochlear implant. Our consistent best-in-class reliability rating illustrates our commitment to supporting a lifetime of hearing for our recipients, so they may Hear now. And always

View the latest report and learn more about Cochlear implant reliability.

About our guest author:

Wade ColburnWade Colburn is the Product Manager for the Cochlear™ Implant product portfolio within Cochlear Americas.  Wade’s responsibilities include product positioning and messaging, life-cycle management, new product launches and surgical support and training. Wade has recently joined Cochlear and comes from an engineering background within the medical device field, including previous otology experience.

 

References:
1. Cochlear Nucleus Implant Reliability Report. Volume 17 | December 2018. D1593476. Cochlear Ltd; 2018
2.  European Consensus Statement on Cochlear Implant Failures and Explantations. Otol Neurotol. 26: 1097-1099, 2005.
3. 2018 Global Reliability Report. 027-N025-02 Rev B. Advanced Bionics AG and Affiliates.; 2018.
4. Hearing Implant Reliability Reporting | MEDEL [Internet]. MedEl.com. 2018 [cited 24 Oct 2018]. Available from: https://www.medel.com/us/reliabilityreporting.
© 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.

 

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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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Clinical Recommendations for Effective Electric-Acoustic Stimulation Treatment for Patients with Severe High-Frequency Hearing Loss

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The Clinical Team is pleased to share with you a White Paper below summarizing the benefits of EAS technology and the EAS clinical care recommendations based on the outcomes of the Thought Leader Workshop. Here is a sneak peak of what can be found in the White Paper.

What are the benefits of EAS over electric-only?

What terminology is used when describing different device configurations?

Who are EAS candidates?

What other EAS care recommendations can be found in the White Paper?

  • Surgical recommendations
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  • Postoperative evaluation care model
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Click here to access the full White Paper.

FUN5083-ISS1-MAY23-EAS-White-Paper-1Download

Cochlear Clinical Quick Tip: Optimizing Your Kanso® Fittings

June 28, 2017

Since its launch in October 2016, the Cochlear™ Nucleus® Kanso® (CP950) sound processor has provided recipients a smart, simple and discreet off-the-ear wearing solution with the robust features and the uncompromised hearing performance of our Nucleus 6 BTE processors (CP910 & CP920).

Kanso features dual-microphone technology and Cochlear’s SmartSound® iQ preprocessing suite to improve hearing in all listening environments, as well as our True Wireless™ technology to allow simple yet powerful connection to a variety of speakers and sound sources.  To maximize Kanso performance, the following reminders about power optimization and optimal battery use are provided for clinicians to use for recipient programming and counseling.

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Power Optimization

Power optimization is a crucial step in the programming of Kanso recipients and should be performed at each appointment – or whenever MAPs are loaded onto the processor.  This process takes skin flap thickness, impedances and MAP parameters (rate, T/C levels, maxima) into account to ensure that all channels are within compliance for each MAP.  More practically for recipients, power optimization maximizes battery life for each program and provides an estimation of their expected minimum battery life.

Power optimization must be done with the Kanso on the recipient’s head during the ‘Write to Maps’ process in Custom Sound® 4.4 to ensure accurate measurement of their power needs.  If this is not done, MAPs will be written with a default 100% manual power level; this is different than for CP910/920, CP810 and Nucleus® Freedom® processors, which default to 75% power level.

 

Not optimizing power level will result in significantly-reduced battery life and potential intermittencies, and no estimation of minimum expected battery life will be calculated.

Once the MAPs have been successfully downloaded to the Kanso® while on the recipient’s head, battery suitability and an estimation of expected battery life will be provided by Custom Sound®.

Click on the icon above to see battery life estimate.

Use of Recommended Batteries

It is vitally important to use appropriate batteries with the Kanso.  The Kanso sound processor utilizes two high-power 675 (PR44) zinc air disposable batteries designed for cochlear implant use.  These batteries have additional capacity to allow for the higher power requirements needed to maintain the RF link between the Kanso and the implant.  Use of standard 675 hearing aid batteries will lead to vastly reduced battery life, intermittencies, or potentially an inability to power on the Kanso for more than a few seconds.

 

Dave Catlett, Au.D., CCC-A, FAAA, Regional Clinical Training Manager

Dave Catlett is a Regional Clinical Training Manager for Cochlear Americas covering the Southeast and Atlantic regions.  In this role, he provides clinical training and mentorship for Cochlear field staff as well as developing and presenting clinical trainings for Cochlear’s professional partners.  He earned his Masters in Audiology at UNC Chapel Hill and his Au.D through the University of Florida.  Prior to joining Cochlear in 2005, David spent several years as a clinical audiologist at UNC’s pediatric cochlear implant program.

 

 

 

 

©Cochlear Limited 2017. 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.

The Kanso™ Sound Processor is water resistant to level IP54 of the International Standard IEC60529. The Kanso Sound Processor with the Aqua+ is water resistant to level IP68 of the International Standard when used with LR44 alkaline or nickel metal hydride disposable batteries.
SNR-WR, 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: and 2) report a preference for different program settings.

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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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