Advanced Bionics announces FDA approval of HiRes Ultra 3D Cochlear Implant

Advanced Bionics (AB) Announces the FDA Approval of the HiRes^™ Ultra 3D Cochlear Implant. Built on the HiRes^™ Ultra platform and developed by the internal Research and Development Team at AB, the new implant is the Hassle Free and Pain Free choice for recipients undergoing MRI examinations. Even for high resolution MRI examinations there is no need to remove the magnet and no requirement for head bandaging, meaning no hearing downtime for the patient.

Hansjuerg Emch, Group Vice President Cochlear Implants (CI), Sonova says, "After many years of research and development, the new magnet technology in our cochlear implants will improve the quality of life for our many recipients due to our hassle free and pain free magnet. We are leading the way and ensuring our recipients have the best possible experiences with our advanced technology. It's a powerful innovation and makes our efforts so rewarding for patients."

The new magnet design provides alignment with an external magnetic field in any direction. This allows cochlear implant recipients to move freely around in the strong magnetic field of an MRI machine without feeling pain or discomfort, and without restrictions to the orientation of the head.

MRI examinations are already a standard of care for health care professionals and with this in mind AB developed new magnet technology that is compatible with MRI screenings, allowing patients' peace of mind for any future health issues that necessitate an MRI examination. Previously, patients and surgeons had to contend with the strong magnetic field from MRI machines exerting force on the magnet, causing torque and subsequent pain if the magnet remained in situ, even with head bandaging. Therefore it was common to remove the magnet for high resolution MRI examinations, requiring out-patient surgery and interrupting the patient's hearing during the healing process. And with the future in mind the new technology has been designed to undergo heavy usage of MRI procedures without any loss of magnetic strength or mobility of the magnet components.