CINCINNATI, Ohio. (Ivanhoe Newswire)—About 15 percent of all American adults report some trouble hearing, yet fewer than one in three people who could benefit from hearing aids have ever used them. Now, a new hearing implant has the potential to help people with hearing issues who have been unable to use devices in the past. The Bonebridge.
For the millions of Americans who have trouble hearing, hearing aids or implantable devices can be life-changing. For some, infection or injury to the ear has made that difficult, but now specialists are implanting a new device that gives patients another option. It’s called the Bonebridge—what’s known as a bone conduction device.
“If you tap your skull, you can actually hear sound within the bone itself,” illustrated Ravi N. Samy, MD, FACS, Professor of Otolaryngology & Neurosurgery and Chief of the Division of Otology/Neurotology at University of Cincinnati.
With normal hearing, sound vibrations go through the outer ear, into the inner ear. The Bonebridge is surgically implanted, and bypasses the damaged outer ear, by picking up sounds and sending them directly to the inner ear through the bones of the skull.
“I’ll just make an incision behind the ear, open up the skin behind the ear, and then actually drill into the bone and then put the device into the bone,” explained Dr. Samy.
Patients wear an external sound processor, which is magnetically held in place over the implant. When audiologists activate the device, it restores the patient’s hearing.
The Bonebridge works best for people with conductive, mixed hearing loss or single-sided deafness, and is an option for those who have trouble wearing hearing aids.
Contributors to this news report include: Cyndy McGrath, Executive & Field Producer; Kirk Manson, Videographer; Roque Correa, Editor.
To receive a free weekly e-mail on Medical Breakthroughs from Ivanhoe, sign up at: http://www.ivanhoe.com/ftk
Sources:
https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/quick-statistics-hearing
MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS
RESEARCH SUMMARY
TOPIC: BONEBRIDGE: NEW DEVICE RESTORES HEARING
REPORT: MB #4906
BACKGROUND: A person with hearing loss is not able to hear as well as someone with normal hearing, which is a hearing threshold of 20 decibels or better in both ears. It can be mild, moderate, severe, or profound, and can affect one or both ears. Hearing loss leads to difficulty in hearing conversational speech and loud sounds. Someone who is hard of hearing can benefit from hearing aids, cochlear implants, and other assistive devices as well as captioning. Someone who is considered deaf has profound hearing loss, which implies very little or no hearing. They often use sign language for communication.
HEARING AIDS VS. COCHLEAR IMPLANT: Hearing aids and cochlear implants help people with hearing loss communicate better. Hearing aids do not require surgery and are best suited for people with less severe hearing loss and fair speech understanding. Cochlear implants require surgery and are best suited for people with more severe hearing loss and poor speech understanding. Hearing aids only amplify sounds by bypassing the outer ear and either translates sounds into vibrations delivered to the middle ear or electrical impulses delivered directly to the inner ear. A cochlear implant device allows you to hear through electrical stimulation. A surgically placed implant bypasses your inner ear which translates acoustic sound into electrical signals. Hearing aids can range from $3,400 to $6,000 for a pair, whereas cochlear implants can run $60,000 to $100,000 and higher per implant. It generally takes around two weeks or less to adapt to hearing aids, and approximately six to 12 or more months to adapt to a cochlear implant.
(Source: https://www.dukehealth.org/blog/hearing-aids-vs-cochlear-implants)
NEW MEDICATION MAY HELP HEARING LOSS: Researchers with Harvard Medical School at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, may have found a way to help hearing loss through bone density medication testing. Led by Konstantina Stankovic, associate professor of otolaryngology head and neck surgery at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, and Albert Edge, researchers found medications called bisphosphonates, which are commonly used to prevent bone density loss, were able to regrow damaged nerve connections in the inner ear in mice with sensorineural hearing loss. While the findings require further study in animal models, the research team hopes it could be a promising target for conducting clinical trials in people.
(Source: https://hms.harvard.edu/news/dramatic-effect)
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS REPORT, PLEASE CONTACT:
CEDRIC RICKS
260-415-8554
If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Marjorie Bekaert Thomas at mthomas@ivanhoe.com
