An Austrian company on Tuesday unveiled the first cochlear implant to be fully hidden under the skin at Antwerp University Hospital.
A cochlear implant is an electronic device that can partially restore hearing for people with severe hearing loss.
Existing models usually include an external component, but MED-EL said all parts of its new device are implanted beneath the skin.
The company said the implant, called Tici Unico, performs as well as devices already on the market.
“For people who hesitate to use a hearing device, the visual aspect is often the main concern,” said Dr Vincent Van Rompaey of Antwerp University Hospital. “An invisible device allows people with severe hearing loss to take part fully in everyday life.”
All components of the Tici Unico, including the microphone, are placed under the skin. The device picks up sound through the skin and converts it into electrical signals.
These signals stimulate the cochlea, and the sound message is then passed to the brain through the auditory nerve.
Because no external part is needed, users remain continuously connected to the sounds around them, even while sleeping, exercising or taking part in water-based activities, MED-EL chief executive Ingeborg Hochmair said.
