Advanced Bionics (AB), Valancia, Calif, introduces Processor Direct, an automated service for replacement of sound processors. The new program streamlines the process by which a sound processor can be replaced, thereby shortening the time a cochlear implant recipient is without sound, according to a statement released by the company.
Under the new Processor Direct program, audiologists can log on to a secure, fully automated Web site and upload the unique program file for the patient’s sound processor. AB will then load the patient’s customized program into a replacement device and ship it directly to their home to complete the process.
The site is designed to prevent uploading the wrong program file. For additional security, AB’s patented IntelliLink feature will only allow a processor loaded with the correct program information to work with a recipient’s implant.
AB offers the Harmony HiResolution Bionic Ear cochlear implant system. Cochlear implants are surgically implanted electronic devices for people with severe-to-profound hearing loss. Unlike hearing aids, they don’t amplify sound, but work by directly stimulating any functioning auditory nerves inside the cochlea through electric impulses.
[Source: Advanced Bionics]
