First patient dubs hearing implant a "game changer"
Date of release: 19 December 2023
Up to 30 patients per year in Wolverhampton are set to benefit from a new type of device that will improve their quality of hearing – with the first calling it a “game changer”.
From left, Jennie Howard, patient Claire Thomas and Naomi Horner, Clinical Specialist for Cochlear
Claire Thomas was the first patient at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) to be fitted with the new Cochlear Osia system.
She is also believed to be the first in the Black Country to benefit from the device, as Bone Anchored Hearing Aids (BAHA) are only offered at specialist centres.
The Osia is a magnetic implant placed under the skin and the hearing aid processor is fixed above the skin with a corresponding magnet.
This device allows better transfer of sound and improved cosmetics. Because the implant is under the skin, there is no need for regular cleaning and there is no risk of infection around the implant site. And with a lower profile to the head, the Osia is more aesthetically appealing to most patients.
After years of hearing difficulties Claire, 44, from Wolverhampton, had the Osia implant in August 2023, undergoing the fitting less than two months later.
Claire was previously head of art in a secondary school before leaving teaching in April 2023 to become a full-time tattoo artist.
She said: “I’d tried a hearing aid previously for around a year. But due to perforated eardrums and scarring I had to have a moulded hearing aid which I couldn’t get along with.
“I kept getting ear infections, and still couldn’t hear voices clearly so I kept removing it then losing it.
“I was initially put off the Osia because of the size of the implant, however the surgery was much less traumatic than expected and I was back at work in two days.
Cochlear Osia implant
“I didn’t have much pain at all and I was really surprised. It’s definitely been a game changer for me, after years of not being able to hear people.”
Jennie Howard, Advanced Audiologist and BAHA Team Lead at RWT, said: “The patient was very happy. She healed very quickly after surgery with no ill effects and was very impressed with the quality of sound.
“The benefits of the Osia system are low maintenance post-surgery, reducing the need for visits to the Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) department, and ease of fitting due to the magnetic connection.”
Mr Neil Giblett, the ENT Consultant who fitted Claire’s implant, said: “It is excellent we can offer patients a choice of hearing devices, including the latest technology advances with the Osia.
“Outcomes reported from BAHA patients are fantastic; the surgery is performed as a day-case procedure and the aftercare and ease of use day-to-day with the Osia are major advantages.”
The Osia implant is placed underneath the skin and has an active transducer producing sound vibrations by digital transfer from the microphones in the device on top of the skin surface.
This gives an improved fitting range, allowing staff to offer it to more patients, but there is also no sound ‘damping’ due to the transfer of sound through the skin.
This was a major issue with the previous magnetic systems on offer and so most BAHA patients that underwent surgery would require a titanium abutment that projects through the skin, allowing the hearing aid to be pressed on.
The abutment style implant however does require regular cleaning and wound care to prevent infection.
Surgery takes around 45 minutes to one hour, which is only slightly longer than the abutment style implant and both devices are normally fitted around six weeks post implantation.
ENDS
- For further information, please call Tim Nash on 07714 741097 or email tim.nash2@nhs.net
