Advanced Bionics, a provider of cochlear implant technology, received FDA approval and announced the expansion of its cochlear implant sound processor product, Marvel CI, and feature offerings to improve hearing care delivery and patient outcomes.
This expansion announcement includes:
- Remote Programming via patient’s smartphone using the Advanced Bionics Remote Support app;
- Linked two-ear solutions including with a CROS device, allowing more CI patients to hear well from both sides;
- Target CI version 1.5, a more efficient version of the company’s programming software for both cochlear implants and hearing instruments
Remote Programming Enables Virtual CI Adjustments with HCPs
Cochlear implant patients often have to travel long distances to reach clinics for appointments with their hearing care professionals (HCPs). For others, mobility issues or busy schedules make receiving timely and necessary care for their CI and hearing needs challenging. Advanced Bionics’s new Remote Support app allows remote checking and programming using their smartphone, the company says.
The Remote Support app also allows HCPs to remotely and directly adjust settings for their patients’ Marvel CI sound processor and compatible Phonak hearing aid or CROS. This way, patients can discuss their progress, get their questions answered in real-time, and even receive full CI programming without a visit to the clinic.’
Expanded Linked Two-Ear Solutions
Hearing with both ears provides a better sense of where sounds are coming from, allows people to hear better in noisy situations, and makes hearing less tiring. (1,2,3) Together with the company’s sister company Phonak, Advanced Bionics offers linked two-ear solutions with hearing aids and cochlear implants designed to communicate and work together as a pair. Now Advanced Bionics’s Marvel will also be a CI system with a CROS (Contralateral Routing of Signal) device. With the introduction of the Phonak CROS device, Advanced Bionics gives people who hear with cochlear implants more possibilities to hear from all around them.
For people who have severe to profound hearing loss in both ears but hear with only one Marvel CI, having a CROS device on the other ear allows it to pick up sounds from that side and transmit them to the Marvel CI. This way, listeners can have a more complete sense of their surroundings and follow conversations from all directions, especially in noisy situations such as restaurants or in the car.
Together with a pair of Marvel CI sound processors, or a bimodal pairing with Marvel CI and a Phonak Link M hearing aid, the introduction of CROS makes Marvel the only CI system with linked bilateral, bimodal, and CROS configurations.
Further reading: Advanced Bionics Receives FDA Approval for Marvel Cochlear Implants
Improved Target CI
Target CI is designed to be the smarter CI fitting software, giving professionals the flexibility to meet their patient-specific needs, the company says. The software allows professionals to program a cochlear implant and the associated bimodal hearing aid with one software in one fitting session. Its workflow and user-centric design and features are made for faster fittings, allowing professionals to spend more time with their patients, rather than the software.
The new Version 1.5 is even more powerful, with usability enhancements related to workflow, ease of use, convenience, and professional performance, the company says. In addition to bimodal fittings, it now also supports programming and configuration of the compatible Phonak CROS device together with a Marvel CI. Target CI Version 1.5 has also reintroduced some of the popular features from the previous Advanced Bionics fitting software Soundwave, and HCPs can now import patient data from Advanced Bionics’s cochlear health monitoring tool, the AIM system.
“Since its introduction in 2020, Marvel CI has redefined hearing performance with cochlear implants,” says Victoria E.Carr-Brendel, PhD, GVP, Sonova Group and president of Advanced Bionics. “Marvel CI’s universal Bluetooth connectivity, dedicated sound processor for children, and integrated compatibility with Phonak hearing devices are still features that are unique and unmatched on the market. The launch of these extended Marvel CI features today continues to demonstrate our focus on making it easier to hear and live with cochlear implants. Remote Programming gives people easier access to their hearing care professionals. The new CROS device allows more people with Marvel CIs to hear where sounds are coming from. And Target CI Version 1.5 allows professionals to serve their patients with even greater efficiency. Our mission has always been to allow people to live a life without limitations. And this launch is yet another big step towards that ultimate goal.”
Photo: Advanced Bionics
References:
- Koch DB, Soli SD, Downing M, and Osberger MJ. 2009. Simultaneous Bilateral Cochlear Implantation: Prospective Study in Adults. Cochlear Implants International (February 26), Cochlear Implants International, n/a. doi: 10.1002/cii.413
- Zeitler D, et al. 2008. Speech Perception Benefits of Sequential Bilateral Cochlear Implantation in Children and Adults: A Retrospective Analysis. Otology & Neurotology. 29 (3): 314-325.
- Dunn, C, et al. 2008. Comparison of Speech Recognition and Localization Performance in Bilateral and Unilateral Cochlear Implant Users Matched on Duration of Deafness and Age of Implantation. Ear and Hearing. 29 (3): 352-359.
