Episode 8: Bone Conduction Hearing Implants

EPISODE 8 FOR HEARING TV

What is a Bone Conduction hearing implant?

Hello and welcome to Hearing TV.  My name is Merren Davies.

In the last episode we discussed how the human ear works.  Today we are going to look at Bone Conduction hearing implants which are an option for people who cannot benefit from a conventional hearing aid.

Some people cannot use a conventional hearing aid as their ear canal, ear drum or the space just beyond the ear drum has repeat infections, …. So much so that the mechanical VIBRATION part of the ear no longer works well.

For some people their history of ear infections is so long and difficult to cure, the use of a conventional hearing aids may PROMOTE ear infections. If this is the case, then they are advised not to use normal hearing aids for medical reasons.

Some people are born without fully formed ear canals and therefore they simply cannot use a conventional hearing aid.

These are some of the MAIN reasons why people choose to obtain a Bone Conduction hearing implant.

For all these reasons there is a problem with the delivery of sound through the mechanical part of the ear, such a s the eardrum and the tiny bones behind the eardrum.

While the electrical part of the ear, the INNER EAR,  is in good working order.

SO HOW DOES THE BONE CONDUCTION HEARING IMPLANT WORK?
It works by picking up sound by an outside sound processor, and the sound is delivered to the INNER EAR by vibration.

So rather than the eardrum and the tiny bones vibrating against the cochlea, the vibration is transmitted by bone conduction directly to the INNER EAR.

In our next episode we will look at MIDDLE EAR HEARING IMPLANTS.

So, STAY TUNED to Hearing TV to hear about implantable hearing devices.