Download The bionic ear

Iona Ross
BME 281
October 18, 2011
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More than 600 million people worldwide (10%)
suffer from hearing impairments
250 million people worldwide have moderate
to severe hearing impairments
# of people with hearing loss in the U.S has
doubled in the past 30 years
By 2015, it is predicted that an estimated 700
million people worldwide will suffer from
hearing impairments
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3 parts to the ear:
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External (pinna) – collects and directs sound through
ear canal to ear drum membrane
Middle (2 major parts)
 Ear drum – detects sounds – sends them to ossicles
 Ossicles – amplify sounds – send them to inner ear
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Inner (cochlea)
 Transmits sounds along auditory nerve to brain via
electrical stimulation
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Conductive
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Sound does not reach inner ear
Sensori-neural
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Problems with transmission of signals from cochlea
to brain
Abetted by Bionic Ear
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19th century
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Count Volta and Duchenne of Boulogna
 Stimulated hearing - electical stimulation
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1957
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Djomo and Eyries
Dr. Graeme Clark
 Implanted a single electrode attached to induction coil
into head of a patient – result: patient heard
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1960s – 70s – multiple electrode output best
1978
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Dr. Graeme Clark inserted first Bionic Ear into Rod
Saunders – worked!
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Nucleus® 22 Cochlear Implant System
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22 channels for current
Template
Made with help from Univ. of Australia, fed
government, and Nucleus – partnership
Nucleus® 24 Cochlear Implant System
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24 channels for current – more precise hearing
NRT technology
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2 internal components
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3 external components
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Array of electrodes
Transmitter-receiver
Microphone
Speech processor
Transmitting coil
NRT technology
1) Microphone
Detects and sends sound to
speech processor
2) Speech Processor
Sound to electrical code
Sent to transmitting coil via cable
3) Transmitting Coil
Radio waves - through skin to implant
4) Implant package
Decodes entire signal
Sends required amount of current - electrodes in
cochlea
5) Electrodes in cochlea
Nerve endings stimulated
Message sent to brain
TODAY
1) Helps mainly those that
have lost hearing b/c age
2) Inconvenient device
3) Unclear signals to brain
at times
4) Costly procedure
FUTURE
1) Young children with
little or no hearing early on
2) Entirely internal device
(microphone first)
3) Improve clarity
4) Decrease cost via maybe
requiring less audiologist
appts?
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Australian Academy of Science. “Cochlear Implants – wiring for
sound”.
2009.<http://www.science.org.au/nova/029/029box03.htm>.
Traynor, Bob. “The Incidence of Hearing Loss Around the World”
6
April2011.<http://hearinghealthmatters.org/hearinginternational
/2011/incidence-of-hearing-loss-around-the-world/>
ThePowerhouseMuseum\<.http://www.powerhousemuseum.co
m/hsc/cochlear/the_cochlear.htm>.I USED SEVERAL ARTICLES
AND PICTURES FROM THIS GENERAL SITE.
“Cochlear Implantation and Quality of Life in Deafness”. Damen,
G. W. J. A.,Mylanus E.A.M, Snik A.F.M. Handbook of Disease
Burdens and Quality of Life Measures.<
http://www.springerlink.com/content/h1q077560x44v93l/>.