Peter Grasso and Florian Feichtner talk to Marcus Schmidt about how the clinical support they provide increases reliability: they work in multidisciplinary teams to aid clinicians along the entire patient pathway, answer questions, make expert recommendations, and provide training. Weblinks: (free professional myMED-EL login required, sign up at https://my.medel.com/) MED-EL Academy Course: Clinical Support Materials (medel.com)

MED-EL’s audio processors have low average monthly repair rates, but sometimes issues do arise. Audiological scientist Katherine Wilson, Peter Konecny, and Manfred Pieber discuss design aspects that keep this number low - such as analyzing weakness in devices that do break and improving them with each new generation - and how devices are serviced reliably when there are problems to get users hearing again as quickly as possible. Weblinks: Cochlear Implant Safety and Reliability...

MRI is a very common medical procedure for both otological and non-otological reasons, so it shouldn’t have complications or be painful for hearing implant recipients. Dr. Ingo Todt and Dr. Martin Zimmerling talk to Manfred Pieber about the features of MED-EL implants that reduce or eliminate complications - such as magnet dislocation - during MRI: a freely rotating, robust, diametrically bipolar magnet that is removable when it is necessary to reduce the size of imaging artifacts. ...

Prof. Dr. Kristen Rak and Patrick Müller talk to Marcus Schmidt about their clinical experiences with the VIBRANT SOUNDBRIDGE, the active middle ear implant that has been on the market the longest. They discuss its simplicity and flexibility, the characteristics that ensure its reliability, and the importance of considering feedback from surgeons when refining features to improve reliability for future implant generations.   Weblinks: 25 Years of VIBRANT SOUNDBRIDGE: A Success Story -...

BONEBRIDGE is different from other bone conduction devices. Prof. Georg Sprinzl, Christine Mühlöcker, and Marcus Schmidt discuss how design differences make BONEBRIDGE devices safer and more reliable than the competitors’ devices, and even ideal for children. For excellent reliability, BCI 602 has a robust transducer, a low profile, and is transcutaneous for intact skin. It has two-point fixation and is embedded in the bone for stability, and is MR-conditional at 1.5 Tesla.* * The...

Speech and language therapist Pedro Brás da Silva and Joanna Shepherd talk to Manfred Pieber about the aspects of reliability that are especially important for children with cochlear implants. Receiving quality sound all day is crucial to children’s learning and development, so having a reliable audio processor and implant is therefore essential. Weblinks: Factors Affecting Communication Outcomes in Pediatric Cochlear Implantation - MED-EL Professionals Blog (medel.pro) Is BONEBRIDGE a...

Prof. Sebastian Schmerber and Dr. Anandhan Dhanasingh talk to Manfred Pieber about how the design features of MED-EL’s flexible, free-fitting, straight FLEX series electrode arrays contribute to implant safety and reliability by reducing the occurrence of common problems such as tip fold-over, scalar deviation, and migration and also preserve intracochlear structures.   Weblinks: Cochlear Implant Safety and Reliability (medel.pro) Electrode Arrays | MED-EL Pro (medel.pro) FLEX Series:...

Comparing manufacturer reliability data can be difficult. Surgeon and researcher Sumit Agrawal and MED-EL reliability expert Manfred Pieber share their professional insights into this topic with Marcus Schmidt. Clinical studies on reliability can also provide valuable insights into implant manufacturers. Weblinks: Refer to pages 4-14 and 32 after downloading the report from: Reliable Hearing by Design: MED-EL Cochlear Implants Reliable Hearing by Design: MED-EL’s BONEBRIDGE Literature...

Hearing implant reliability starts with the design process. Dominik Hammerer and Bernhard Jamnig talk to Manfred Pieber about new device development and steps in the manufacturing process that contribute to reliability, including feasibility, hermeticity, impact, environmental, and vibration testing that ensure all requirements are met. Results from thorough investigations of explanted devices are also considered when designing new implants.  Weblinks: Cochlear Implant Safety and...

Since reliability is an important topic for hearing implant recipients and surgeons, MED-EL publishes reliability reports regularly. But there is more to reliability than high cumulative survival rates. Manfred Pieber and Marcus Schmidt discuss the aspects of design and technology that contribute to implant and audio processor safety and reliability, including structure preservation and independent safety capacitors. Weblinks: Reliable Cochlear Implants by Design from MED-EL (medel.com) ...

From his research outcomes and clinical experience, Dr. Michael Canfarotta shares what the minimal angular of insertion of a CI electrode should be in order to optimize hearing outcomes.

For us to understand how the brain can adapt to a cochlear implant, Prof. Michael Dorman, PhD, explains the complex topics of tonotopicity and brain plasticity in simple words. He also describes how we can support the brain so there is a greater chance to optimize the hearing outcome.

From his research outcomes and clinical experience, Dr. Michael Canfarotta shares what the minimal angular of insertion of a CI electrode should be in order to optimize hearing outcomes.

Dr. Michael Canfarotta explains how, in the majority of cases, the cochlear implant program in his clinic can perform full electrode insertion with the longest commercial CI electrode in the field when the individualized measurement for each cochlear duct length was accounted for.

In this episode, Prof. Van de Heyning shares 3 harmful results which could occur when an electrode is inserted into the cochlea and how we can prevent it. He also discusses why straight electrodes are a suitable and preferable choice for robotic and CI surgery.

The differences between the two main types of cochlear implant electrode arrays are explained in this episode by Dr. Hans Thomeer. Specifically, how these two electrode designs and surgical approaches can affect translocation after the electrode insertion, and what might be a better option.

Prof. Dr. Assen Koitschev shares his experiences with the MED-EL’s BONEBRIDGE in children with single-sided deafness. Indications, surgical considerations, and outcomes are discussed.

Prof. Piotr Henryk Skarżyński, M.D., Ph.D., MSc. shares his experiences with the MED-EL’s BONEBRIDGE in children with mixed hearing loss. Indications, surgical considerations, and outcomes are covered during this episode.

Joke Veltman, a professional pianist and CI recipient, shares her CI journey and encourages others with tips to bring music back into their lives after implantation. For more recipient stories, visit our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLmyy0rZrfM

Roy Smith, an amateur musician and bilateral CI recipient, describes his road back to music following implantation and shares a message for those who are newly activated.

Johanna Boyer, MED-EL’s resident musicologist, introduces Meludia, our online music training program, and shares additional rehabilitation resources for professionals, recipients, and their families. Register on https://my.medel.com/ for a two-week free trial of Meludia. Download MED-EL’s music resources from our website. Visit our Blog https://blog.medel.com/?s=music for helpful posts on music. Check out our Spotify playlist! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2USG4LCeBOZixFjRRtrIuB

Ritva Torppa, a University Lecturer of Logopedics and post-doctoral fellow at the University of Helsinki, shares the benefits of musical experience for spoken language development in cochlear implant recipients and offers ideas about musical activities for children.

Daniel Hofer, Advanced Research Engineer, and Melissa Waller, audiologist in Education & Training, discuss how the unique features MED-EL’s cochlear implant technology supports music perception for CI recipients.  Learn more about MED-EL’s Complete Cochlear Coverage and FineHearing™ here: https://www.medel.com/hearing-solutions/cochlear-implants/hear-the-difference/triformance

Aneesha Pretto, Advanced Rehabilitation Manager at MED-EL, reviews some key considerations for counselling and developing a rehabilitation program for hearing implant recipients with SSD. View the Single-Sided Deafness & Cochlear Implant Rehabilitation course on the MED-EL Academy with a myMED-EL account: https://academy.medel.com/course/view.php?id=666 Visit Our MED-EL Blog to find out more about Rehabilitation for SSD: ...