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Cochlear Implants

Who is a candidate

What is an implant

When should an implant be considered

Where do you start

How can it be successful

June 8, 2024

Cathryn Luckoski, Audiologist

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Let’s start with two stories.

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Cathryn Luckoski, MS, MBA, CCC/A

Ascension St. Vincent Audiology Services

Carmel IN

  • Outpatient Provider for Adults and Children
  • 30 years of diagnosing and treating hearing loss for all ages
  • Part of a team of specialists providing services in Carmel and Fishers, Indiana

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Questions that I am asked most often!

  • Who should consider a cochlear implant?
  • What does an implant do? What are the options? What does it sound like? What is the best technology? What will people think?
  • When should I get the implant?
  • Where should I go to get a cochlear implant?
  • How do I make the implant sound better? How do I manage my life with a cochlear implant?

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WHO is a candidate?

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Over 28 million adults could benefit from a hearing device, but many choose not to pursue treatment. 1

  • 1 in 3 adults over the age of 70
  • 1 in 5 adults between 20 and 69

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Who has a cochlear implant?

“As of July 2022, more than 1 million cochlear implants have been implanted worldwide. In the United States, roughly 118,100 devices have been implanted in adults and 65,000 in children. “ 1

  • The numbers of adults over the age of 20 getting a cochlear implant is a small portion of those that could qualify! 2
    • In 2015 adults receiving a CI who fit the traditional model (severe to profound hearing loss) and could qualify numbered 244 per 100,000
    • In 2019, this went up to 350 per 100,000
    • The growth in the elderly population, 80 yrs and older, nearly doubled in the same time frame (105 to 202 per 100,000)

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Why is there a reluctance to pursue effective treatment for hearing loss?

Cost

Access to Services

Trust / Fear

Aesthetics

Support

Benefit

Lack of understanding / information

Not sure where to start

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Neurologic effects of hearing loss. 3

Short term - loss of connections, isolation, fatigue

Long term - loss of connections, isolation, memory, executive function, earlier onset of cognitive deficits

*Variables: cause, age at onset, age of initial treatment, time since onset of significant hearing loss

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Are you a candidate?

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What you need to hear. 4

Normal

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What does an audiogram look like for an adult that might be a candidate for a cochlear implant?

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Moderate to Profound Hearing Loss 5

Mild

Moderate

Severe

Profound

Normal

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Moderate to Profound Hearing Loss 6

Mild

Moderate

Severe

Profound

Normal

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Moderate to Profound Hearing Loss 6

Mild

Moderate

Severe

Profound

Normal

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Single Sided Deafness 6

Bone Conduction Implant

12 years of age or older, can consider a bone conduction implant

Normal hearing in one ear, and profound hearing loss in the opposite ear

Have tried a hearing aid without success

Cochlear Implant

5 years of age or older, can consider a cochlear implant

No worse than a mild hearing loss in one ear, and severe to profound hearing loss in the opposite ear

Have tried a hearing aid without success

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When to ask for a referral to a specialist for a cochlear implant candidacy evaluation:

The 60 / 60 Rule 7

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60 / 60 Rule for Speech Understanding

Speech Understanding:

90%+

80%

70%

60%

less than 60%

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WHAT is an implant?

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Surgical Hearing Treatment Solutions:

Cochlear Implants

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How the ear works. 8

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How the cochlear implant works. 5, 6

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Sound 5

-Sound happens as a physical change in the environment

-Sound enters the ear as waves of pressure changes

-Low frequencies, or bass sounds, are introduced as slower pressure changes

-High frequencies, or treble sounds, are introduced as faster pressure changes

-Loudness is dependent on the power or amplitude of the pressure waves

-Pressure waves are instantaneous and complex

  • There are many frequencies and loudnesses presented at one time to an ear
  • The ear has to recognize, convert the pressure changes into electrical pulses
  • The electrical pulses need to be transmitted via the hearing nerve to the brain
  • The brain has to decode the pulses to provide the experience of hearing

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Hearing occurs in the brain! 9

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Replicating sound with a cochlear implant

Thoughtco.com

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Replicating sound with a cochlear implant

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Implant Companies in the US 5, 6, 10

MEDEL - medel.com: First multi-channel cochlear implant implanted in December 1977 at the ENT University Clinic in Vienna, Austria. FDA approved in the US in August of 2001.

Cochlear - cochlear.com: Founded in Sydney, Australia in 1981. FDA approved in adults in 1985 and in children in 1990 (24 months and older)

Advanced Bionics - advancedbionics.com: Founded in 1993 and based in Valencia, CA. FDA approved in adults in 1996-1997, and in children in 2001.

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How does the implant give the sense of hearing? 5, 6, 10

You start with a microphone, a battery and small computer chip. A Sound Processor.

Features

Cochlear

MEDEL

Advanced Bionics

Over The Ear

Nucleus 8

Sonnet 2

Naida CI M 90

Off The Ear

Kanso 2

Rondo 3

None

Rechargeable

Yes

Yes

Yes

Disposable Battery

Yes - Nucleus 8

Yes - Sonnet 2

Yes - Naida CI M 90

Dynamic Microphone

Yes

Yes

Yes

Automatic Sound Sensor

Yes - SCAN

Yes - Automatic Sound Management

Yes - AutoSense OS

Smart Phone Compatible

Yes

Yes- for APP

*need adapter for calls

Yes

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How do they compare 5, 6, 10

Sound Features

Cochlear

MEDEL

Advanced Bionics

Electrodes

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12

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Sound Coding Technology

ACE

Fine Hearing

HiRes Fidelity 120, ClearVoice

Full Day Battery Use

Yes

Yes

Yes

Accessories to enhance listening in challenging situations

Mini Mmic 2+, TV Streamer,

AudioLink, Remote Mic

Roger On iN V2, personal mic, TV Link

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Advancements in Audio Technology is driving the usability of all hearing devices.

  • Bluetooth ™ Enabled
  • Rechargeable as an option
  • Noise cancelling technology
  • *Smartphone compatibility for phone calls / streaming
  • *Advanced audio technology
  • Brand specific accessories

Template Guide

A reminder for content slides: Do not allow your text to descend below the line and overlap the Ascension logo. ��If you need more room for text, use Title and Content Option 2 in the template.

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Millennials have normalized technology!

“Changing how people think is like getting them to change a habit” , Rebecca Knill, How technology has changed what it’s like to be deaf. TED Health, July 26, 2022

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Implant company technology and partnerships that enhance accessibility. 5, 6, 10

Cochlear Smart

AB Remote

MEDEL Audio2Ear , AudioKey

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WHEN should an implant be considered?

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Simple: when hearing and enjoying life is no longer fully possible with a standard hearing aid.

Speech Understanding:

90%+

80%

70%

60%

less than 60%

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WHERE do you start?

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Clinic Finder

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Ask a professional for a referral.

-Primary Physician

-Otolaryngologist

-Audiologist

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Ask a trusted friend for a contact.

-HLAA

-Cochlear Implant User

-Connect with a specialist within one of the implant companies.

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HOW can it be successful?

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Each individual has a unique set of expectations, needs and health history.

  • Detexterity
  • *Family and External Support
  • Level of hearing loss in the non-implant ear
  • Cause of hearing loss
  • *Length of time with hearing loss before implant
  • Health issues or concerns
  • Memory challenges
  • *What you do before surgery to learn about the technology
  • *What you do after surgery to keep learning about it and using it
  • **Self-perception after implant
  • others???

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Don’t do it alone, look to the broader community.

-Community Support

-Implant Company Support

-Professional Support

-Social media, Blogs

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Implant Company Led

Cochlear: Recipient Solutions Managers

Advanced Bionics: AB Success Team

MEDEL: Consumer Engagement Managers - Shana Lucius

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Leverage Technology

–Captel, InnoCaption

-Loop / T-Coil Systems

-Implant Accessories

-FM Systems

-Ask the Expert Articles

InnoCaption Q&A With Tina Childress - Audiologist, Late-Deafened Adult, Bilateral Cochlear Implant Recipient, ASL User and Travel Warrior

https://www.innocaption.com/recentnews/qa-with-tina-childress-audiologist-late-deafened-adult-bilateral-cochlear-implant-recipient-asl-user-and-travel-warrior

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Know your technology! Show Someone!

-Model of hearing aid

-Model of Implant

-Warranty

-Otolaryngologist Name and contact information

-Audiologist Name and contact information

Write this down and put in a shared space for easy access.

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Ascension St. Vincent Audiology

The team at Ascension St. Vincent Audiology is pleased to offer diagnostic and treatment services. Referrals are accepted by fax at 317-582-9037 or by phone at 317-582-9029.

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  1. Quick Statistics about Hearing. (2021) https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/quick-statistics-hearing#
  2. Nassiri, Ashley; Marinelli, John; Lohse, Christine; Carlson, Matthew. (2023) Incidence of Cochlear Implantation Amond Adult Candidates in the United States. Otol Neurotol. 2023 Jul 1;44(6): 549-554.
  3. https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2021/hearing-loss-and-the-dementia-connection#:~:text=Hearing%20loss%20can%20make%20the,brain%20to%20shrink%20more%20quickly.
  4. https://www.jtc.org/audiogram-of-familiar-sounds/
  5. MEDEL.com
  6. Cochlear.com
  7. Zwolan, Teresa; Schvartz-Leyzac, Kara; Pleasant, Terrance. (2020) Development of a 60/60 Guideline for Referring Adults for a Traditional Cochlear Implant Candidacy Evaluation. Otol Neurotol. 2020 Aug; 41(7): 895-900.
  8. https://www.happyearshearing.com/anatomy-of-the-ear/ /Downloaded on 05/27/2024
  9. https://psychology.stackexchange.com/questions/12238/are-the-language-and-sound-centres-of-the-brain-in-the-same-area
  10. AdvancedBionics.com

Bibliography

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