Science / Medicine : Multichannel Hearing Aids Tested

A 72-year-old California man has become the first patient to be surgically implanted with a new multichannel, 16-electrode device designed to give deaf persons the ability to understand speech. The device is based on 20 years of research at UC San Francisco.

Reporting at a Hawaii meeting of the American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Association, otolarygologist Robert Schindler, chair of the UCSF Department of Otolaryngology, said the new device, called a multichannel cochlear implant, represents a “significant leap forward” over other devices of this type because its electrical system can be customized for each patient.

“This flexibility provides the greatest potential for the patient to understand speech, rather than just hearing sounds,” emphasized Schindler, who also serves as director of the UCSF Cochlear Implant Program.

A total of 60 to 70 patients are expected to be implanted with the new device during clinical trials over the next one to two years. The first patient was implanted at UCSF in late March, and trials will be expanded to other medical institutions by the end of the year.