Just 20 years ago, a group of audiologists met to conceive the idea of an organization “of, by and for audiologists,” and thus the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) was born with James Jerger, Ph.D., as its founding father. The first annual convention was held in Kiawah Island, S.C., in 1989 and attracted 569 members. In contrast, this year 6,999 members attended the AudiologyNOW! Convention held in Charlotte, N.C., in April.
The opening general assembly featured New York-based comedy group The Watercoolers, known for their ability to create hilarious songs and sketch comedy. The lyrics to their song, “Heroes of Hearing,” set to the tune of Queen’s “We are the Champions,” is well worth the read at www.hr-hpr.com/issues/articles/2008-05_06.asp. See many of AudiologyNOW’s highlights at that URL as well.
This unparalleled annual event in audiology featured more than 200 exhibitors and over 90,000 square feet of audiology products and services including acoustic systems, assistive listening devices, audiometers, batteries, bone conduction devices, cochlear implant systems, components, computers and equipment, software, earmolds/earplugs, educational materials, hearing aids, instruments, accessories, impression materials, laboratory and testing equipment, otoscopes, publications, signaling systems, speech equipment, surgical instruments, syringes, and vestibular testing equipment. And there was even something for the kids! DiscovEARy Zone a free interactive and educational experience about the human ear and hearing loss, was loads of fun for all ages and was open to the public every day. This, in addition to computer kiosks, hands on learning tables, a giant graphic display of the anatomy of the ear, replication of listening situations and a quiet room where children could get hearing tests by an audiologist were among the reasons this convention is always a treat!
Best of Show!
In the exhibit hall, the second annual “Best of Show” awards were given in six categories based on the size of the exhibit, ranging from small to super-sized.
The winner of the small exhibit category was General Hearing Instruments. Started in 1984 as a small hearing aid manufacturer, General Hearing Instruments has grown to become one of the leading innovators in the hearing instrument industry, due in part to the strength of their research and development department and the numerous patents they have acquired. Their mission statement is to “produce instruments that satisfy the diverse needs within the hearing community.” They offer a variety of products to fulfill their mission including open-ear, ready-to-wear, soft technology, high- fidelity digital and tinnitus retraining devices. More information about their products can be found at www.generalhearing.com.
TV Ears, the medium exhibit winner, launched their first product in 1998. With only 10 years of experience, TV Ears has become the top-selling brand for wireless TV listening devices. Recently, TV Ears built upon its success by introducing several new hearing care products to help people hear better in different situations such as on the telephone or at the dinner table. They are committed to helping their customers hear better with the use of high quality, affordable and easy-to-use products. More information can be found at www.tvears.com.
HearingMed won best in show for the medium-large category. Founded in 1996, this network of member hearing health providers seeks to develop long-term relationships with members, helping them grow their practices by advanced marketing alliances and resources. HearingMed’s hallmark is an unrivaled Patient Retention Program and the industry’s first Patient Benefit Package, which includes high quality hearing instruments manufactured by the world’s leading manufacturer of high tech hearing aids under the brand name Intel-A-Hear. Visit www.intelahear.com for the full range of products or www.hearingmed.com to learn more about this innovative company.
VARTA Microbattery, the large exhibit winner, is a global company that develops and sells innovative and high performance primary and rechargeable battery systems for the electronics industry. As an original equipment manufacturer and battery designer, VARTA Microbattery focuses on battery technologies for state-of-the-art mobile communication as well as for medical and electronic equipment. To learn more about their batteries for hearing aids, visit http://varta-microbattery.com.
Vivatone Hearing Systems won Best of Show for extra large booths for the second consecutive year! The theme of their booth this year was, “Simplify Your Life,” and featured their Totally Open Canal (TOC®) receiver-in-the-ear product line. Vivatone has expanded the fitting range by adding a power receiver (VivaPower) to make this incredibly successful style available to patients with severe and profound losses. In addition, they offer Viva-Link, wireless compatibility for telephone, television and all Bluetooth devices: www.vivatone.com.
Starkey Laboratories, Inc., headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minn., won Best of Show for their supersized exhibit. Starkey is recognized for their innovative design, development and distribution of comprehensive digital hearing systems. Starkey unveiled their new receiver-in-canal device called the Zon, featuring BluWave Signal Processing. Founded in 1967, Starkey currently has more than 4,000 employees and facilities in more than 25 countries. Divisions operating under the Starkey Laboratories family of companies include Audibel, Micro-Tech, NuEar and Starkey. Visit www.starkey.com.
Supertracks
This year, the educational themes of the conference were organized around five major topics referred to as “Supertracks,” and included implantables, geriatrics, pediatrics, practice management and vestibular. In keeping with the themes, Trends reporters zoomed in on the implantables and scoured the halls of the exhibit area to bring you the latest and greatest on implant technologies.
Implantables
Implantable devices are used more and more in the field of audiology and they are no longer considered risky or experimental. Implant solutions are now available for a wide variety of hearing loss types, including conductive, mixed, unilateral and severe to profound sensorineural losses.
Cochlear Implants
It’s been 47 years since William House, M.D., first implanted two Americans with cochlear implants (CIs) for a short-term clinical trial and 28 years since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began to regulate CIs. This technology has advanced immensely over the years, and correspondingly, the age of implantation has decreased such that children can now be implanted at one year of age. Technology has moved to ear-level processors with FM capabilities for children and adults.
One of the newest innovations on the implant scene is the hybrid implant. Hybrid implants combine electric and acoustic stimulation into a hybrid device which is both an implant and a hearing aid. It is designed for individuals with binaural low-frequency hearing, and severe to profound high-frequency hearing loss. The hybrid devices use a shortened CI electrode array that is surgically implanted, allowing electrical stimulation of the basal region of the cochlea for high-frequency hearing. With the shorter electrode array, the apex or peak of the cochlea is undamaged, allowing acoustic amplification of low-frequency sounds as needed. Hybrid implants are available in Europe and currently in clinical trials in the United States.
Cochlear Americas revealed that 16 clinics in the United States are participating in clinical trials with their Nucleus Hybrid Acoustic + Electrical devices. Six of the participating clinics are implanting a hybrid device with a short electrode array and the other 10 sites are implanting a hybrid device with a longer electrode array. The intent of these studies is to further explore the application of electric-acoustic hearing, not just for speech understanding in quiet and in noise, but also for aspects related to music perception/appreciation and hearing in spatially separated noise. Cochlear Americas has been conducting hybrid implant clinical trials since 2004.
Cochlear Americas also introduced Cochlear Custom Sound Suite 2.0, a new software platform for programming CIs that supports the upgrade for the Nucleus 22 patients to the Freedom 22 processor. The software has enhancements for bilateral programming and introduces Smart Sound 2, which has speech preprocessing strategies for optimal listening in different listening environments, hearing mentor and implant ID and map compare. Visit www.cochlearamericas.com.
Another recent release from Cochlear Americas is MyCochlear.com, a Web-based function that streamlines ordering accessories and access to tracking for patients.
MED-EL Corporation announced the beginning of their multisite clinical trial using their hybrid device known as the Duet. They have just begun recruiting participants, who must be at least 18 years old, receive minimal benefit from traditional hearing aids and have some low-frequency hearing. Potential candidates can contact MED-EL by calling 888.MED.EL.CI (888.633.3524), or by e-mail at implants@medelus.com to learn more about participating in this trial.
MED-EL has received approval by the FDA for its new rechargeable DaCapo battery and charging system, developed for the MED-EL speech processors. Already the lightest and slimmest available, the DaCapo system additionally reduces the weight of the MED-EL speech processor by 20 percent without limiting performance. The system is shipped with a charging unit and three PowerPacks – rechargeable batteries each lasting for 10 to 12 hours.
The new MED-EL OPUS 2 CI speech processor has also recently received FDA approval. The OPUS 2 is the first speech processor that is designed for switch-free operation and has special features for bilaterally implanted individuals. Similar to its hearing aid counterpart, the OPUS 2 is operated by a remote control called the FineTuner™, enabling changes to settings without removing the processor from the ear. The OPUS 2 boasts an integrated telecoil and a universal direct input for wireless FM and Bluetooth® connection. OPUS 2 also gives an optional alert indicator when the program changes and when the battery runs low. Visit www.medel.com for more information.
Advanced Bionics continues to produce Harmony™ HiResolution® Bionic Ear System and no new products were introduced this year at AudiologyNOW! For more, visit www.bionicear.com.
Bone Conduction Implants
The Baha® system is the only osseointegrated or bone conduction implant available and was approved by the FDA in 1995 for persons five years of age or older. An osseointegrated implant is defined as a direct structural and functional connection between living bone and the surface of a load-carrying implant. The Baha system is distributed by Cochlear Americas. It is intended for individuals with conductive, mixed hearing loss or single-sided deafness (SSD) and who can still benefit from sound amplification. The Baha system is also used to treat those with SSD where only one cochlea functions normally. Candidates for the Baha system include those with medical conditions such as atresia of the ear canal or chronic middle ear problems.
The Baha system includes a small titanium implant and a detachable sound processor. The newest sound processor model, the Baha® Intenso™ is the first Baha sound processor to address mixed hearing loss by increasing the amount of gain.
Although no data has been published yet, audiologists are seeing that children with unilateral hearing loss/SSD are beginning to benefit from the technology of Baha. Preliminary data from Arkansas Children’s Hospital indicates Baha may have the same benefit for children as previously seen in adults.
For children under five, the Baha® Softband is available prior to implantation of the Baha system. Visit www.cochlearamericas.com for more information.
Middle Ear Implants
MED-EL recently announced that the middle ear implant Vibrant Soundbridge® has been approved for conductive and mixed hearing losses in Europe. This approval means that the Vibrant Soundbridge may be offered as a treatment option not only to patients with mild to severe sensorineural hearing loss but also to persons who suffer from conductive and mixed hearing losses due to outer and middle ear problems. The Vibrant Soundbridge rests on the bones in the middle ear causing them to increase sound vibrations. This results in an amplification of sound.
Leading surgical centers in Europe who have studied the Vibrant Soundbridge over the past three years, have documented its success and benefit to patients who had few, if any, alternatives for better hearing. The Vibrant Soundbridge is a reliable and flexible hearing system and has been implanted in thousands of patients in more than 20 countries worldwide over the past 11 years. More information can be found at www.vibrant-medel.com.
If you’ve wondered if implant technology might benefit you, but frankly have been a little freaked out by the concept of hardware in your head, this year’s AudiologyNOW! showstoppers should put that fear to rest once and for all. It’s time to see your hearing healthcare professional to find out how implant technology can improve your hearing and your life!
