Cochlear implants and hearing aids are two different types of assistive listening devices, but they both have the characteristic of "enabling hearing-impaired patients to communicate with others". So which is better, cochlear implants or hearing aids? I've analyzed it briefly.
A cochlear implant
The cochlear implant is a surgically implanted into the human body, to help patients with severe (or very severe) hearing a kind of electronic hearing device, also known as cochlear implant. It replaces damaged inner ear hair cells and stimulates the auditory nerve with an electric current, allowing the auditory center to regain sound signals.
The cochlear implant reproduces the three important parameters of sound intensity, frequency, and time by adjusting different parameters of electrical stimulation, so that most patients with severe (or profound) sensorineural deafness can regain their hearing, and can understand language and communicate normally as normal people do in different environmental scenarios.
A cochlear implant requires a series of professional evaluations before it can be used, not all deaf patients are suitable for cochlear implantation, and cochlear implants cannot solve all hearing problems. A cochlear implant also requires a period of functional recovery after the cochlear implant is used, and it is not possible to wear a cochlear implant and immediately "hear well", so we don't think of the cochlear implant as being so magical.
Second, the hearing aid
Hearing aid is a kind of electro-acoustic amplifier, according to the hearing patient's individual situation, the external environment of the sound signal reception, amplification, compression and other processing, to improve and improve the hearing of the patient hearing an electronic device. It is based on the hearing loss of patients with hearing loss, selective amplification of different frequencies of sound, "small sound amplification, loud compression", to ensure that patients with hearing loss can hear and can try to hear clearly.
Hearing aids can not be purchased at random, you need to go through a professional dispenser (or a doctor) to do a hearing test to be able to test and adjust.
Unlike cochlear implants, hearing aids do not require surgery, but they are only an aid to listening, No matter how high end the hearing aid is, it is only an aid to listening, don't expect it to become a "real ear!
In summary, there is no such thing as a good or bad hearing aid or cochlear implant; they are each good at what they do.
Hearing aids are suitable for patients with mild, moderate, severe, and even some profound deafness, while cochlear implants are only suitable for patients with severe sensorineural and profound sensorineural deafness. A multidisciplinary evaluation is required before cochlear implantation, and it is also necessary to wear hearing aids for more than 3 months beforehand, and cochlear implants are only considered when hearing aids do not have any effect.
It is important to note that regardless of the type of hearing device worn (especially in pediatric patients), a long-term process of speech rehabilitation is required to achieve good hearing results.
Hello, there is no such thing as a good or bad device, it depends on which one is better for you. The cochlear implant is irreversible, and the cochlear implant can only be replaced at a later date with the risk of complications. Hearing aids are suitable for patients with mild to severe hearing loss, as long as there is residual hearing, it is recommended to wear hearing aids, you can go to the local professional fitting center to consult to understand.
It is important to distinguish between residual hearing and no hearing, with residual hearing wear hearing aids, no hearing cochlear implants!
I hope my answer is helpful to you!
The difference between cochlear implants and hearing aids can be briefly summarized in five points:
①The use of the population is not the same: cochlear implants are mainly used for severe hearing impairment, hearing aids are mainly used for moderate or severe hearing loss.
② different methods of use: cochlear implants need to be implanted in the body through surgery (the process of 1 ~ 3 hours), while hearing aids do not require surgery, can be worn directly above the auricle or in the ear canal. Surgery carries certain risks and cochlear implantation is usually considered only when hearing aids do not work. In fact, many older people who have residual hearing, even if they are severely deaf, often choose hearing aids. After all, older people are more conservative, do not want to casually surgery.
③ principle is not the same: cochlear implants can produce direct economic stimulation of the cochlea's auditory hair cells through the work of the current, the transmission of electrical signals to the brain, so that the implanted person regained hearing. Hearing aid is the external sound amplification, the user information to analyze the hearing compensation.
④ The cost is not the same: generally speaking, the domestic cochlear implant price of 6-10 million, imported more than 100,000 to three hundred thousand ranging (some or regional government will have subsidies, specific to consult the local policy). The price of hearing aids ranges from a few hundred to tens of thousands, depending on the chip technology and features.
⑤ The service life is not the same: cochlear implants are designed for a life of 70 years, hearing aids are designed for a life of 5-10 years, customized hearing aids are properly maintained, the use of more than 15 years is not uncommon.
Cochlear implants
Who is suitable for cochlear implant surgery?
Hearing aids are of little use for total and profound deafness, and cochlear implant surgery can be considered for both prelingual and postlingual deafness, provided the auditory nerves and auditory centers are functioning well.
Suitable children for cochlear implantation:
①Implantation age is usually 1-6 years old, and the younger the age, the better the results. 6 years old and above need to have a certain degree of auditory-verbal foundation, hearing aids since childhood to wear a history of auditory-verbal rehabilitation training history.
② severe or profound sensorineural deafness in both ears. After a comprehensive audiological evaluation, severely deaf people wearing hearing aids for 3-6 months is ineffective or the effect is not ideal, cochlear implants should be used; extremely deaf people can consider direct implantation of cochlear implants.
③No contraindications to surgery.
④ The guardian/implantee has a correct understanding of cochlear implants and reasonable expectations.
⑤ Have the conditions for auditory-verbal rehabilitation education.
Adults suitable for cochlear implantation:
① Post-lingual deaf people of all ages.
② Severe or profound sensorineural deafness in both ears, unable to communicate normally with hearing aids.
③No contraindications to surgery.
④ The guardian/implantee himself/herself has a correct understanding of cochlear implants and reasonable expectations.
What is the principle of using hearing aids and cochlear implants at the same time? Does it really help with hearing?
A number of people who have had cochlear implant surgery also wear hearing aids. Although cochlear implants transmit electrical signals and hearing aids merely amplify sound, the brain naturally blends the two stimuli together after a period of adaptation. Wearing a hearing aid while using a cochlear implant is more conducive to localizing the sound source, improves speech resolution, helps the user to understand the speech they hear more easily, and helps to protect residual hearing.
Hearing aids are suitable for patients with mild to severe hearing loss. However, due to the different types and qualities of hearing aids, the amplification of sound signals is different, i.e. the "fidelity" of the sound signal is different. The hearing impaired person will have a different hearing experience. Cochlear implants are suitable for people with severe hearing impairment, i.e. people who cannot be helped by hearing aids. And there are many types of hearing aids, behind-the-ear machines, in-the-ear machines, ear canal machines, invisible hearing aids, a variety of types to choose from.
The difference between a hearing aid and a cochlear implant
A cochlear implant is an electronic device that is used by the speech processor outside of the body to convert sound into a certain form of coded electrical signals, and then implanted in the body through an electrode system that directly excites the auditory nerves to restore, improve, and rebuild the auditory function of the deaf. In the past twenty years, with the development of high technology, cochlear implants have made rapid progress, and have moved from experimental research to clinical application. Nowadays, cochlear implants have been used as a regular treatment for severe to total deafness all over the world. Cochlear implants are the most successful biomedical engineering device in use today. Cochlear implantation requires strict pre-operative evaluation and there are absolute and relative contraindications, so not everyone is suitable for cochlear implantation. The surgery needs to be performed in a proper hospital.
Whether you are wearing a hearing aid or a cochlear implant, there is a period of adjustment. The cochlear implant, in particular, is very different from the sound of the human cochlear structure of the fineness, so there will be some differences between the perceived sound and the natural sound. It takes a long time, a few months of rehabilitation for postlingual deafness and 2-3 years of speech rehabilitation for prelingual deafness (pediatric) to achieve a more satisfactory result. Currently a cochlear implant costs about 200,000 yuan for the device plus surgery, and a hearing aid costs thousands to tens of thousands of dollars.
Not the same, the price, the function of the difference
This also depends on the hearing loss, cochlear implants and hearing aids are two different hearing aids. Hearing aids work best when the hearing loss is about 60 decibels. The price is much lower than cochlear implants. Cochlear implantation is a more complicated surgery. It cannot be performed in a normal hospital. Sensorineural deafness with a hearing loss of 90 decibels or more is usually treated with a cochlear implant. The cost is high, ranging from 200,000 to 300,000 dollars.
Hello, hearing loss of more than 85db is the need to do cochlear implants it ~ ~ if not then please go to a professional fitting organization for consultation
1, cochlear implants are through electrical stimulation to directly stimulate the cochlea's auditory hair cells, the transmission of electrical signals to the brain, the formation of the sound; and hearing aids are through the amplification of the sound heard to enhance the volume of the hearing to compensate for the hearing.
2. Cochlear implants need to be surgically implanted under the skin, whereas hearing aids usually only need to be inserted into the ear canal.
3. Cochlear implants compensate for severe to profound hearing loss, whereas hearing aids can only compensate for severe hearing loss at best.
Whether you choose a cochlear implant or a hearing aid depends on the degree of your hearing loss and the type of hearing loss.