What is a Cochlear Implant?

A cochlear implant is an electronic device that is surgically implanted behind the ear and works by directly stimulating functioning auditory nerves in the inner ear. Unlike hearing aids, cochlear implants do not amplify sound; electrical impulses are picked up by and then transmitted from a processor and sent directly to the inner ear, giving people with severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss the ability to identify sounds in their environment and understand speech without reading lips. The cochlear implant has two basic pieces:

• Processor – This piece is outside the body. It picks up sounds, processes them, and sends signals to the cochlear implant
• Implant – This piece is inside the body. It is placed behind the ear during surgery. The electrode, which is placed in the cochlea, receives signals from the processor and sends them to the existing hearing nerves

How Nucleus Freedom^TM works

1. Sound processor: External sound processor captures sound and converts it into digital signals.

2. Digital signals: Processor sends digital signals to internal implant.

3. Electrode array: Internal implant converts signals into electrical energy, sending it to an electrode array inside the cochlea.

4. Hearing nerve: Electrodes stimulate hearing nerve, bypassing damaged hair cells, and the brain perceives signals as sound.