Sound Progress In Ear Implants

Implants (NAPSA)—Offering hope to people with severe to profound hearing loss are implants that work like the outer and middle ear to collect sound. Instead of just amplifying environmental sound, they deliver sound signals directly to the auditory nerve. The latest of these devices, called the COMBI 40+ Cochlear Implant System, has just been - i) Unlike conventional hearing aids which amplify sounds in the environment, a cochlear implant delivers sound signals directly to the auditory nerve. approved by the FDA.It uses an external microphone that presents the sound signals to a behind-theear speech processor. The function of the speech processor is to analyze the sound signal from the microphone according to a selected speech coding strategy, known as CIS+, that is sent to a coil. This coded signal contains information on how to stimulate individual electrodes and then electrical impulses travel along the hearing nerve to the brain, where the brain categorizes the sound and assigns meaning. Cochlear implant technology has made great progress in recent years. The MED-ELdevice brings new technology from Europe to the U.S. The COMBI40+ contains unique and distinct features that may offer improved benefits. Moreinformation about cochlear implants is available by visiting www.medel.com.