A bone anchored hearing aid is a hearing device that relies on direct bone conduction to transmit sound. This surgically implanted device bypasses the auditory canal and middle ear, utilizing bones of the skull as a pathway for sound to reach the inner ear. It’s an alternative for people with chronic ear infections, congenital external auditory canal atresia and single-sided deafness. These patients usually do not benefit from conventional hearing aids.
How Do Bone Anchored Hearing Aids Work?
In a person with normal hearing, sound enters the external ear and travels down the ear canal through the middle ear to the cochlea, or inner ear. This process is called air conduction.
For individuals with certain types of hearing loss, sound is unable to travel down these pathways. Bone anchored devices take advantage of the bones’ natural conductive abilities by sending sound vibrations directly to your inner ear, bypassing the auditory canal and middle ear completely.
The sound processor of a bone anchored hearing aid transmits vibrations to an implant, where these vibrations are transferred to the skull and inner ear in order to stimulate the nerve fibers responsible for hearing.
A bone anchored hearing aid is a safe and effective FDA-approved treatment alternative that enables many hearing-impaired individuals to communicate more effectively. It has been available in the U.S. since 1977.
Who Can Benefit from Bone Anchored Hearing Aids?
Candidates for these devices are typically patients with conductive and mixed hearing losses, or those with unilateral (single-sided) hearing loss.
If you experience chronic ear infections that do not respond to treatment, you may find the system particularly beneficial. Conventional hearing aids can aggravate this condition due to humidity and moisture building up in the ear canals. Those with congenital ear defects (such as ear canals that are narrow or absent) are good candidates, as well.