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Cochlear Implant Referral Journey

Watch and listen as Jayne and David talk about the Cochlear Implant journey from the decision making to 7 months post surgery.

Video use by kind permission of the BSHAA [British Society of Hearing Aid Audiologists]

What is a Cochlear Implant and How Does It Work?

A cochlear implant is a small electronic medical device that helps people with severe to profound hearing loss hear sounds by directly stimulating the auditory nerve. It’s different from a hearing aid: hearing aids amplify sound, but cochlear implants bypass the damaged parts of the inner ear altogether.

A cochlear implant has two main parts:

1. External Component

Microphone – picks up sound from the environment
Speech processor – converts sound into digital signals
Transmitter (coil) – sends the signals through the skin to the internal implant

2. Internal Component (surgically implanted)

Receiver–stimulator – receives signals from the transmitter
Electrode array – a set of tiny electrodes inserted into the cochlea (inner ear)

Step-by-step

Sound enters the microphone on the external piece.
The speech processor turns the sound into digital information.
The transmitter coil sends this information through the skin to the internal receiver.
The receiver sends electrical signals to the electrode array inside the cochlea.
Electrodes stimulate the auditory nerve fibers, replacing the function of damaged hair cells.
The auditory nerve sends the signal to the brain, where it’s interpreted as sound.

Want to know more? Please get in touch – we’d love to hear from you!