Wednesday, October 15, 2014

BAHA surgery

When Max was three months old, he was fitted with BTE (behind the ear) hearing aids. They worked ok but two issues:

1) They didn't stay in very well due to his ear formation (quite common with individuals with CHARGE)
2) His hearing loss continued to worsen and needed something more powerful. 

Two years ago, we switched to the BAHA, which works via bone conduction, and have been using dual processors on a softband. It's been great, and we have been eagerly awaiting the FDA approval of the cool new BAHA Attract (which uses a magnet instead of the abutment). However, we met with Max's ENT surgeon on Monday and have decided instead to go with the BAHA Connect (see below). Because of his level of hearing loss, he needs the strongest and most direct route for sound.

The first surgery (currently being scheduled) will be to implant the titanium fixture behind the ear. It will take approximately 4-6 months for the implanted portion to become osseointegrated to the bone of the skull. Once osseointegration is completed, he will have another surgery for the abutment component.

While surgery and recovery is certainly never easy, I am very excited about giving Max even more direct route to sound. In addition to the clarity of this implanted processor, two other bonuses are:

1) He won't have to wear the softband any more.

2) There is new wireless technology for this processor, which will make accessibility to ipads, televisions, phones easier.

This has been a long process to find the best hearing solution for him, but it should be worth it!

http://www.cochlear.com/wps/wcm/connect/intl/home/discover/baha-bone-conduction-implants/baha-connect-system/baha-connect-system

1 comment:

Manish Batra said...

Hey, very nice site. I came across this on Google, and I am stoked that I did. I will definitely be coming back here more often. Wish I could add to the conversation and bring a bit more to the table, but am just taking in as much info as I can at the moment. Thanks for sharing.
Knee Cap

Keep Posting:)