Posts > Woman Receives UK's first fully implanted hearing aid
Woman Receives UK's first fully implanted hearing aid
Posted on 22/01/2011 09:54:00
A woman from Hampshire can hear for the first time in 40 years after receiving the UK's first totally implantable hearing aid thanks to the work of the South of England Cochlear Implant Centre based at the University of Southampton.
The Otologics Carina Middle Ear Implant is special because it is the first totally implantable device to provide hearing with no external components for the user. The device consists of a rechargeable battery, a signal processor and a microphone which are all implanted under the skin.
The implant is suitable for people with moderate to severe hearing losses who are unable to gain benefit from conventional hearing aids because of ear canal infections, allergies to ear moulds or a closed ear canal.
The advantage is to bypass the external ear canal and deliver mechanical vibration directly to the hearing bonses, avoiding the side effects of ear moulds.
For more information about SOECIC visit www.isvr.soton.ac.uk/soecic