BIONIC HEARING with Oticon Medical Cochlear Implant (Neuro Zti & Neuro 2)
Bionic Hearing with Oticon Medical Cochlear Implant (Neuro Zti & Neuro 2)
A new cochlear implant system from Oticon Medical is now available to eligible users in the United States as well as around the world. In this post, I discuss this technology and who may benefit from it.
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Hi, I’m Dr. Derek – audiologist, audio engineer, and musician with ProFitHearing.com bringing you the best insight in today’s latest hearing aids, headphones, and audio technology to improve your life. If you have concerns about your hearing, always consult with your local physician or audiologist.
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Oticon Medical Cochlear Implant
Oticon Medical has received FDA premarket approval for their Neuro cochlear implant system for the treatment of patients that are 18 years or older, have bilateral severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss, and who receive limited benefit from hearing aids. The Neuro System is already available around the world and now also in the United States. It’s designated as a Class III device by the FDA.
This newest cochlear implant offering makes Oticon Medical the fourth manufacturer to make cochlear implants available for consumers within the United States. The other three cochlear implant companies are Cochlear Americas, Advanced Bionics, and Med-El. Oticon Medical already has an established history of producing bone anchored hearing aids or BAHAs. Their bone anchored hearing aids have been used to treat conductive and mixed hearing loss as well as single sided deafness.
Neuro System
A cochlear implant system has two components: the implanted device and the external processor device that is located near or on the ear. Oticon Medical’s Neuro System uses the Neuro Zti implanted device and the Neuro 2 sound processor. Oticon Medical reports that the Neuro 2 is the smallest behind-the-ear (or BTE) processor on the market.
An advantage of the Neuro System is that it uses the Oticon hearing aid platform making it compatible with Oticon hearing aids. This may be of interest to anyone who uses a Neuro 2 sound processor on one ear and an Oticon hearing aid on the other ear.
Bluetooth
You can also stream sound from a Bluetooth device like your smartphone or tablet to the Neuro 2 and Oticon hearing aids by using the Oticon Medical streamer XM. The streamer device goes around your neck and allows you to hear phone calls, music, television with the Connectline TV adapter, or another person wearing the wireless Connectline microphone. The Connectline app for smartphones allows you to control your sound settings. In addition to Bluetooth connectivity, you also have the option of using rechargeable or disposable batteries inside the Neuro 2 sound processor.
Consult with your audiologist or physician
To determine whether or not a cochlear implant would be appropriate for you, please contact your local audiologist or Ear Nose and Throat physician for an evaluation. Cochlear implants are reserved for those who do not receive adequate benefit from hearing aids and also met particular criteria. Your provider can determine whether this technology would be beneficial for your specific needs.
Oticon Medical Cochlear Implant – Thoughts?
So, what do you think of the new Oticon Medical cochlear implant system? Comment below. If you received value from this post, go to https://www.youtube.com/profithearing and check out all the videos on our YouTube channel.
-Dr. Derek