Envoy

[leapyrtwins]

Anyone know anything about this?

http://implantablehearing.com/

Someone told me recently that the docs @ HEI are starting to implant it in patients.

It's been approved by the FDA, but that's about all I know about it.

Jan

[lori67]

Never heard of it.  Interesting.

Pretty soon, everyone will be the Bionic Woman/Man!  And chances are, no one will be able to make it through metal detectors without setting them off!   

Lori

[Kaybo]

will be watching this one...

K   

[leapyrtwins]

Supposedly the battery only needs changing every 5 - 7 years. 

Wonder how that's done 

Jan

[lori67]

Wonder how that's done 

You just shove the new one in your ear?   

[grega]

Q-tip ?!?!?!?!?!   

[rupert]

  I have heard of something similar but I'm not sure if this device is the same.   The neurosurgeon I saw in Pittsburgh said that he had done a few  (probably clinical trials).

The  microprocessor device was implanted behind the ear drum  taking the sound and somehow moving the bones and cilia that weren't  moving naturally.   You had to wait for the ear drum to heal up before the device was turned on.    I thought he said battery life of about ten years.    At that point I think you would have to have the procedure done again.   I don't beleive this device would work if your hearing nerve was damaged.    The device mentioned in the previous posts looks as though it is a conducting device to the good ear.    All interesting.

[Pooter]

I'm with Rupert on this... I looked over their website and even watched the video about "How it works" from their website.  It certainly appears that a functioning hearing nerve would be required for this to work..  So, anyone who's had Translab surgery would automatically be out (because most of the bony structures in the ear have been removed)..  Their website said it was designed for those with SSD, but I'm not sure AN patients would qualify under that loose definition of "SSD"..

Worth exploring with your doctor, though, I guess..

Regards,
Brian

[grega]

Say Jan .... et al .... did anyone get past the opening main webpage?  I clicked on every other link and got error messages ("404") for each .... and Esteem as a heading.  By the spelling of "favourite" in the error message, assume it's not a US company.
Thanks,
Greg

[leapyrtwins]

Greg -

really only looked at the main page myself.

And the only reason I started this thread, as I think I said in my opening post, is that someone told me that HEI was going to be doing these implants.

That may have been just a rumor; I'm not sure.

I'm not due to see my doc any time soon - unless I finally make that appt to have my screw taken out  - but if I do see him, I'll ask him what he knows about the Envoy.

Jan

[ksiwek]

All, spoke VERY briefly with Dr Friedman at Hei about Envoy.  He told me that I would not be a candidate as my surgery will be translab with resulting SSD.  From what I gathered in our 15 second conversation, Envoy does not work with SSD.  If I get anymore update info or hear any good info, I will post...