Med-El Elektromedizinische Geraete Gmbh

Vibrant Med-E1 Hearing Technology Gmbh

Peter Grasso

Marek Polak

Stefan Brill

A middle ear implant system includes a bone conduction transducer configured for fixed attachment to skull bone of a patient beneath the skin behind the ear, and for generating sound vibrations from an external communications signal received through the skin for coupling to the skull bone for bone conduction sound perception by the patient. A malleable ossicle connector is connected to the bone conduction transducer and a middle ear hearing structure of the patient. And one or more isolation springs are configured for placement at the fixed attachment of the bone conduction transducer to the skull bone to acoustically decouple the bone conduction transducer from the skull bone to avoid bone conduction sound perception so that sound perception from the external communications signal is solely via the middle ear sound perception from vibrations coupled to the middle ear hearing structure by the ossicle connector.

Universal bone conduction and middle ear implant

A method is described for determining an optimal placement location for an auditory brainstem implant (ABI) electrode array. A cochlear implant (CI) electrode array is inserted into a patient cochlea, and the ABI electrode array is initially placed at an initial placement location on a patient brainstem. The optimal placement location for the ABI electrode array is then determined by, for multiple electrode contacts on the ABI electrode array: i. selecting a specific electrode contact, ii. delivering a stimulation signal to the selected electrode contact, iii. sensing an efferent nerve signal from the stimulation signal using the electrode contacts of the CI electrode array, and iv. determining a maximum response location in the patient cochlea where a largest efferent nerve signal is sensed. The ABI electrode array is then repositioned to the optimal placement location.

Reproducible placement of ABI Electrodes

A method is described for surgical implantation of a cochlear implant system. An intraoperative baseline value stapedial reflex response is determined for a cochlear implant patient. Then while performing a given step in a multi-step surgical process to implant a cochlear implant system in the patient, the stapedial reflex response is monitored, and if the stapedial reflex response changes from the baseline value response more than a safe change threshold value, the given step is stopped.

Monitoring of hearing preservation during cochlear implant surgery using stapedial reflex measurement

A middle ear transducer arrangement is described for engaging a round window membrane of a patient cochlea. A mechanical transducer is surgically implantable into a fixed position in the round window niche of the patient cochlea adjacent to the round window membrane. A drive face on the outer surface of the transducer has a diameter less than half the diameter of the round window membrane. The fixed position of the transducer engages the drive face against a side section of the round window membrane without engaging the center point to generate an acoustic stimulation signal for perception as sound.

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Innsbruck, Austria

Peter Grasso