IMPLANTS
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HEARING AIDS
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Implants
Cochlear Implants are increasingly common, and have two sections, internal and external. The internal consists of an electrode array placed inside a non-functioning cochlea, and wired to a magnet placed most commonly in the Mastoid Bone behind the ear. However, that is useless without the external piece that includes a microphone and a processor that then sends information to the electrode array through a magnetic connection. This involves general anesthesia and can be dangerous, although is increasingly safer. These are for Profound Sensorineural hearing loss types, and requires consistent therapy in order to comprehend the sounds that the device processes and sends to the brain.
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Bone Anchored Hearing Aids a;so have two components, internal and external. Internal consists or one of two options, either a post inserted into the skull and protruding through the scalp, which helps sound infiltrate the inner ear easier, therefor clearer, or a post inserted into the skull, but ends in a magnet under the scalp, which limits the sound, but is less likely to lead to infection at the operation site. The external piece contains a microphone and processor, that then sends that information to the inner ear utilizing the mastoid bone most commonly, These hearing aids are for Conductive hearing loss and does require a surgery under general anesthesia.
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Electro-acoustic stimulation Implants are structurally similar to Cochlear Implants, except implementing the internal part of CIs means that there is no residual hearing in the implanted ear, while the EAS targets the higher pitches through electrodes, but attempts to preserve the lower pitches, supporting them often with a Behind the Ear Hearing Aid that is combined with the processor. This is targeted towards patients with higher pitched sensorineural loss, and does require surgery. This system is newer compared to traditional CIs because it combines two diffrent ways of amplification,
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Auditory Brainstem Implants are also similar to Cochlear Implants, however, instead of sending electrical signals through the cochlear, it is through the brainstem, which is more dangerous than the cochlear sue to it being brain surgery, but for some patients with profound sensorineural loss, their audiologist may believe it is most likely to be a successful operation sue to inner ear or nerve malformations that would lead other implants not to be effective in transmitting and processing sounds.
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Hearing Aids
Behind the ear hearing aids are a recognizable form of amplification, with a microphone and processor sitting behind the ear, with several options for in the ear extensions, to funnel the sound into the ear canal.
- One method is to have the speaker behind the ear, with tubing that hooks around the top to the ear, leading the sound.
- Another is have a wire extend from behind the ear and the part that enters the ear slightly contains a speaker
- The tips of both of these have several options as well, be it domes or a soft mold that is specially made to fit an individual
In the canal aids tend to be more discreet, but aren't viable for all types of hearing levels and loss. There are several types, one almost all the way hidden in an ear canal, while another sits partially in the Pinna, as well as the canal. Audiologists tend to avoid giving these to younger children and teens for several reasons, such as the fact they grow more and the custom molds wouldn't be comfortable in an ear while they keep growing. Another aspect is that ear drums can be fragile, and in the canal hearing aids can be a larger danger than the behind the ear hearing aids because they are easier to shove deeper into the canal.
How to care for Hearing Aids
Seeing as in the United States, hearing aids tend to be expensive, and have less than 30% covered by insurance, so it's important to take care of the machinery. Most hearing aids or external pieces to implants have a battery slot. Sometimes those batteries are rechargeable, but more often than not a person that owns hearing aids needs to exchange old for the new, dispose of dead batteries safely. A common weakness in most types of amplification is that fluid build up is bad, and can damage the processor. In order to make sure that doesn't happen, it's important to open the battery compartment to the maximum when not wearing. They also sell dehumidifiers to put them in while you sleep.