Adhear questions and answers

[Kara of Canada]

So since our new topic has arrived, I would ask our friend @Ivana Marinac who has tested the device to give us her opinion of the new technology. Since it is a non-implantable device for those who suffer from conductive hearing loss. She would be able to give us some insight. 

 

[Ivana Marinac]

Will be back later today - have to work now...

[Jennifer]

Hi. My husband had an implant in his right ear last week with 10 per cent hearing.  His left ear had 40 per cent hearing and it appears that the Adhear might be good for that ear...Better than a hearing aid?  How low can the hearing be for adhear to be effective.  The surgery was $80,000.  How much is the Adhear and how does the insurance companies view it. Thanks

[Mary Beth]

Hi Jennifer,

 

I am excited for your husband and his recent implant.  When is his activation?

I am not sure that the AdHear is available in the US yet.  I will tag @leighf and she will know.

[Mary Beth]

Here is a link.  AdHear is for people with conductive hearing loss.  Cochlear implants are for people with sensorineural hearing loss.

 

http://www.medel.com/int/adhear

[Jennifer]

Dec. 5.  Is the activation. The doctor's office does not do hearing aids.  He had a couple of different ones. But he wanted to get one of the aids tweekd perfectly.  Our new one he doesn't like so he's going back to the Auticon. But how much more effective a Adhear would be.  What country has.  How do you compare to an implant?   Thanks

 

[Mary Beth]

AdHear is not a substitute for a cochlear implant.  Conductive Hearing losses involve the outer and or middle ear.  Basically sound is not getting to the inner ear effectively.  Cochlear implants are designed to help those of us who have sensorineural hearing loss.  Sound is arriving to the inner ear but the inner ear is not able to process the sound.

 

Different groups of people use AdHear than Cochlear Implants.

 

I am not explaining this so well.  @Ivana Marinac will explain it much better.

[MED-EL Moderator]

Hi @Jennifer, thanks for your question. As Mary Beth said, ADHEAR isn't available in the US at the moment. If you'd like to stay updated about its release, you can get in touch with your local MED-EL representative here.

Kind regards,

Leigh – HearPeers Support Team. 

[Ivana Marinac]

On 18/11/2017 at 3:22 AM, Jennifer said:

Hi. My husband had an implant in his right ear last week with 10 per cent hearing.  His left ear had 40 per cent hearing and it appears that the Adhear might be good for that ear...Better than a hearing aid?  How low can the hearing be for adhear to be effective.  The surgery was $80,000.  How much is the Adhear and how does the insurance companies view it. Thanks

Hello Jennifer,

I started to write this post a few days ago but had some technical difficulties with sending it. 

It is a good idea, but unfortunately, the hearing threshold of the other ear should be better than 30 dB. I do not have the information what are the hearing threshold curves of your husband but 40% of hearing is definitely worse. Adhear, at first place, is for the conductive hearing loss. I am sending you a short booklet about Adhear intended for professionals. 

Or the single sided deaf ear where the other ear is - within the range of normal hearing threshold - up to 30dB which is not a case for your husband. If his hearing is constantly getting worse - he is a candidate for a CI on the other ear also which is actually very good.

[Ivana Marinac]

http://s3.medel.com/pdf/28867_30_ADHEAR_Factsheet-EN.pdf

[MED-EL Moderator]

Exciting news: ADHEAR has received FDA clearance in the US! Want to know when ADHEAR will be available in the United States? Sign up now at http://www.medel.com/us/adhear   

Kind regards,

Barbara 

[Mary Featherston]

Barbara, I have a cousin who has a conductive hearing loss and is currently looking at BAHAs.  But he is interested in Adhear now that I'd released.  It looks much simpler and less invasive than a BAHA system.  Is it also less expensive?  He's in the US.

Thanks!

[Ivana Marinac]

Hi @Mary Featherston,

I use regularly on a daily basis Bonebridge since I was a bit reluctant toward the quality of BAHA BP100 when I have tried it several years before the BB.

As an active person who does a lot of sport, I was reluctant toward the idea of having the abutment system.

In the meantime, I have received a Bonebridge and could not be happier and satisfied both with the quality of sound but also not having any kind of usual issue with BAHA system. However, BAHA was and still is a valuable principle because it has learned the scientific community the value of the osseointegration process as well as new pathways of spreading bone conduction sound.

I have tried Adhear, and as you told - it is a valuable alternative to bone conduction systems since they need to be implanted under general or local anesthesia with postop issues, at least in your mind. Having said that, I have to underline that the sound quality is different - not worse but more like the powered version of hearing aid. Much more powered. 

Yet, it catches practically everything and it requires a user to behave a lot more active during differing the sound signal. With my BB, I do not need to do that - as my local bank says: We offers, you just live!

Of course, I haven`t worn it for a longer period of time, perhaps I would adjust, perhaps not after having the BB experience. But it is really valuable alternative toward the necessity of having a surgery as well the fact that children might not be suitable or they become suitable to have an implantation after becoming 5 years old. Hearing pathways are more prone to develop since the day 1 up to two years old. At least, developing a binaural hearing processing. 

[Mary Beth]

Great to see you here @Ivana Marinac!

[Ivana Marinac]

26 minutes ago, Mary Beth said:

Great to see you here @Ivana Marinac!

Yes, lurking to see what was going on here while I was piled with my assignments...

[Mary Beth]

I missed you @Ivana Marinac

[Mary Featherston]

@Ivana Marinac - I wasn't aware that your hearing loss is conductive.  Thanks for all the input!  I was trying to figure out, for Bryan, what the difference between Bonebridge and a BAHA is.  Can  you help me with that?

[Mary Beth]

@Mary Featherston

Is Bryan in the USA?  I am not sure that BoneBridge is available in the US, even though it has been available in other countries for quite some time.  Some people in the US have gone to Canada I believe to receive one.  Med-El has a self pay center in Toronto I believe.  I think it is called Hear Life.  They have a few at different places around the world.

[Mary Beth]

Link

 

http://www.hearlifeclinic.com/

[Mary Featherston]

@Mary Beth - yes, he's in Colorado.  I'm not sure he can afford it if he has to buy it himself, he's a teacher and his wife is a paralegal and they have two kids.  He was qualified for a BAHA but his insurance is fighting him.  He heard about Adhear and asked me if I could learn anything about it because he knows my implant is Med-El.  But he's afraid of having to buy that one too, hence my question about the price.  I don't see a published price list yet like they have for the CIs.

[Mary Beth]

There tends to be a period of time between FDA approval and Med-El releasing products in the USA.  I think I saw a sign up to be notified link for AdHear like they have for Rondo 2.

 

[Mary Beth]

@Mary Featherston

 

You can find info about the BoneBridge on the Med-El International website

http://www.medel.com/int/bonebridge/

 

Since it was released way back in 2012, I don’t know if Med-El plans on getting FDA approval for it in the USA.  We seem to be at most one year behind other approvals.

 

 

[Mary Featherston]

1 hour ago, Mary Beth said:

There tends to be a period of time between FDA approval and Med-El releasing products in the USA.  I think I saw a sign up to be notified link for AdHear like they have for Rondo 2.

 

Yes, FDA approval was received but no word on when they'll be available.  But I gave Bryan the contact link so he can get on the list to get information, anyway.

[Ivana Marinac]

There was also a study where Med-EL included patients into a study with Soundbridge, another interesting active middle ear implant.

a difference is pretty evident, Baha is on the abutment (magnetic plate version I do not recommend) and Bonebridge is totally invisible, implanted into a temporal bone.

really don't know what are plans with BB, but there is a review where it was found that between all BC implants, BB has least side-effects, skin or device malfunction.

I am pretty sad that it is not advertised more. People usually refuse it because of its size. On the other side, datas show unparalled advantage regarding at least 2 characteristics.

regarding your  cousin, he won't make a mistake even woth BAHA although it is greater pain in the ass to maintain the implant position. Beside Cochlear there is also Oticon's version of BAHA - he should test both versions.

In my opinion, BAHA was a great improvement when it has shown up - but test of time (40 years) has to offer us an advancement in this field. I see it in BB, believed enough to agree with the implantation in time when it was not clear whether it will stand against a test of time. Six years on the market and two significant chatacteristics for patients - priceless. 

[Mary Beth]

@Ivana Marinac

It is perplexing to me why Med-El has not taken the BoneBridge through the FDA process in the US.  I know of people who have gone to Canada to get the BoneBridge and paid out of pocket.

 

We have so many children here who would benefit from the BoneBridge.  Unfortunately their FDA options limit them to a titanium screw (abutment) System like BAHA and Ponto, AdHear or a headband device.

 

I wish BoneBridge was available in the US.