The Total Hearing Care Difference

Cochlear Implants: The Direct Line to Better Hearing

• Dr. Jill Copley • Episode 14

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What Are Cochlear Implants And How Do They Work?

When traditional hearing aids aren't enough, cochlear implants offer renewed hope. Dr. Jill Copley takes us deep into the fascinating world of this life-changing technology that's been transforming lives since the 1970s.

Cochlear implants represent a fundamentally different approach to treating hearing loss. Unlike conventional hearing aids that amplify sound through the natural hearing pathway, these remarkable devices bypass damaged parts of the inner ear entirely. Dr. Copley expertly breaks down how surgeons implant a small electrode array into the cochlea, creating a direct connection to the auditory nerve that carries sound signals straight to the brain. This revolutionary approach allows people with severe to profound hearing loss to perceive sounds their damaged hair cells could never process.

The journey to cochlear implantation involves comprehensive evaluation, including imaging studies to ensure the cochlea can accommodate the electrode array and psychological assessment to prepare patients for adaptation. While there are considerations and potential risks, Dr. Copley reassures listeners that complications are rare when procedures are performed by experienced specialists. The goal remains the same as with any hearing technology: improved speech understanding, better communication in noisy environments, and enhanced quality of life through restored connection to the world of sound.

Curious if cochlear implants might be right for you or someone you love? Connect with the experts at Total Hearing Care by calling 469-809-4487 or visiting TotalHearingCare.com. The journey to better hearing starts with understanding all your options, and we're here to guide you every step of the way. Because when you hear better, you truly do live better.

To learn more about Total Hearing Care visit:
https://www.TotalHearingCare.com

Total Hearing Care
Multiple Locations Across the DFW Metroplex
(469) 809-4487

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Total Hearing Care Difference where we help you experience life through better hearing. Hosted by the experts at Total Hearing Care, a leading private audiology practice serving the DFW Metroplex, we're here to provide guidance on hearing loss, tinnitus and the latest advancements in audiology. Transform your life through better hearing. Let's get started. Transform your life through better hearing.

Speaker 2:

Let's get started. Cochlear implants are changing lives for those with severe hearing loss. Dr Jill Copley explains how these devices bypass damaged parts of the ear to deliver sound directly to the brain, and what that means for patients. Welcome back everyone. I'm Sophia Yvette, co-host and producer, back in the studio with Dr Jill Copley. Dr Copley, how's it going? Great, I'm excited to talk about cochlear implants with you today. Yes, and I am so excited to dive into this with you too. Now, what are cochlear implants and how do they work?

Speaker 3:

So a cochlear implant is. Well, let me back up. So in the inner ear, which is called the cochlea, and it's the snail shaped organ in your ear, what they're going to do a surgeon does this. What they're going to do a surgeon does this A surgeon will implant a small electrode array into the cochlea and then it will attach to a magnet that goes underneath your skin, near your ear. On the outside, what you'll have is a processor, and so that processor will bring in the sound. It's sent through the magnet to that electrode array. It signals the electrodes to make a response, and that response directly links up with your auditory nerve, which goes to the brain for processing of sound.

Speaker 2:

Wow. Now how do cochlear implants differ from traditional hearing aids in terms of function?

Speaker 3:

So traditional hearing aids.

Speaker 3:

They both work similarly, but traditional hearing aids do not have anything surgically implanted in your ear. So hearing instruments that we think of as hearing aids are just sitting outside the ear, or it might be customized to sit inside the outer ear where if you looked in their ear you could see it, whereas a cochlear implant is actually going to be implanted. Now the other difference is the way the sound goes through. So with a hearing instrument, a hearing aid, it's going to go through the ear canal and go through the middle ear, which are where those little bones are, and then through the cochlea and hit the nerve cells, and then that will send a signal to the brain. A cochlear implant, on the other hand, when you put the electrode array through the cochlea, you're actually destroying the nerve cells that may be left and you're directly linking up with the auditory nerve, and so it bypasses and I know you'll talk about this a little later, but it bypasses some of that damaged nerve cells and it's also going to bypass what's going on through that outer ear.

Speaker 2:

Now can you walk us through what kind of hearing improvement progress patients can typically expect?

Speaker 3:

So we're looking for similar improvements between just hearing instruments and cochlear implants. So what you want to notice when you get an implant is what you would think of with any hearing device. You want to be able to understand people better. You want to be able to understand in background noise better. You want to be able to understand on the phone, you want to be able to understand the TV, and so it's very similar. You're basically wanting to understand those things around you. So that's no different between the two. It's just the way they work, that's a little different.

Speaker 2:

What other questions might you have for me on this? So my next question kind of touches on something that you got into a little bit what parts of the ear do cochlear implants bypass? I know we discussed this a little bit, but why is it so important?

Speaker 3:

So what we're looking at with a hearing loss. When you're a candidate for a cochlear implant, that means that your hearing loss is probably severe to profound. The nerve cells in your ear at that point are either not there or they are not functioning like they should, and so what we wanna do is bypass that damage, and so we directly link up with the auditory nerve and send those signals to the auditory nerve, instead of trying to send the signals through those nerve cells that are already damaged. Now, in order to do that, we also are bypassing the outer ear and the middle ear, which again have your ossicles or those little bones there. But that is the best way that they have found to do this, and this has been done since the 70s and 80s. They've known how to do this, and so, like you said, cochlear implants have been around quite a while, and they've come a long way to help people when hearing instruments just aren't enough to help them anymore.

Speaker 2:

Oh yes, I 100% agree with you. Now, are there any risks or limitations people should be aware of before considering a cochlear implant?

Speaker 3:

So, unlike hearing instruments, you're going to have to go through more testing to see if you can get a cochlear implant. A main thing is you'll probably have an MRI or some kind of imaging of your ear because they need to make sure that the cochlea is sound enough pardon the pun but is good enough to basically put those electrodes into it. There are some disorders where that bone actually hardens and a surgeon can't get in there. So that's one of the things they have to look at. They also have to look at a psychological profile, because cochlear implants can take a little longer to get used to because the sound is different than a person would be used to. They want to make sure you're going to stick with the program or that you have family to support you, to help you practice and make sure you're using the cochlear implant as you should.

Speaker 3:

Now some other medical risks. And I've always told my patients if you go to see a good neuro-otologist who does the cochlear implants, you're not going to have any problems. But of course there are certain risks. Certain risks where you could lose all of your hearing. You could have trouble with your vagus nerve, which is your coughing nerve. It could affect your facial nerve because it is a surgery and it is considered very close to neurosurgery. But when you have a physician that's done a lot of these, you really are not going to have those issues. The final risk is that it just doesn't work. They implant it and it just doesn't function like you'd want it to. But I don't hear of that happening very often. But that is a risk.

Speaker 2:

Wow, Dr Copley, thank you for breaking down such a powerful tool in hearing care today. We'll see you next time on the Total Hearing Care Difference podcast. Thank you so much.

Speaker 3:

We'll see you.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening to the Total Hearing Care Difference. If you're in the DFW Metroplex and ready to take the next step toward better hearing, call 469-809-4487 to book an appointment or visit TotalHearingCarecom, because when you hear better, you live better. See you next time.