Sound Processor Helps the Deaf Adapt to Different Sound Settings

A programmable bone conduction hearing system allows the hearing impaired easy transition between different listening environments, without degradation in hearing performance.

The Cochlear Bone-Anchored Hearing Aid (BAHA) BP100 Sound Processor is intended for children and adults with conductive hearing loss, mixed hearing loss, or single-sided sensorineural deafness. The bone-anchored hearing solution has advanced automatic digital signal processing functions that automatically adapt to the user's sound environment, helping to provide greater audibility and listening comfort across different listening environments. The system also incorporates features especially designed for children, including tamper-resistant battery doors, a key lock function, and a titanium and plastic casing for maximum durability. The device is designed with improved water protection, allowing children and adults to live full, active lives. For clinicians, the proprietary cochlear fitting software and three distinct fitting options provide increased flexibility, offering better fitting precision. The Cochlear BAHA BP100 Sound Processor is a product of Cochlear (Lane Cove, NSW, Australia).

"The BAHA BP100 is the most advanced implantable bone conduction solution available, representing a major technological leap forward in sound processor utility and design. It's engineered to deliver better hearing performance than ever before,” said Chris Smith, President of Cochlear Americas. "Users who cannot benefit from hearing aids now have the best opportunity to connect to sound and effectively communicate.”

A BAHA is a type of hearing aid based on bone conduction, using a surgically implanted abutment to transmit sound by direct conduction through bone to the inner ear, bypassing the external auditory canal and middle ear. A titanium post is surgically embedded into the skull with a small abutment exposed outside the skin. The sound processor sits on this abutment, transmitting sound vibrations to the titanium implant. The implant then vibrates the skull and inner ear, which stimulate the nerve fibers of the inner ear, allowing hearing. The titanium fixture bonds with the surrounding tissue via osseointegration, and the hearing aid can be used once osseointegration is complete, usually two to six months after implantation.

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