Bone Conductive Hearing Aids: An Alternative to the Traditional Hearing Devices
Certain conditions and types of hearing loss do not permit the use of regular hearing aids that are worn in the ear canal. Patients with chronic ear infections, tumors in the ear canal or small ears may not be able to wear a device inside their ear. People suffering from conductive hearing loss or sensorineural hearing loss also may not benefit from in-the-canal (ITC) devices. Someone suffering from one of these issues would be eligible for bone conduction hearing aids. These devices come in two forms. A traditional bone conductive hearing aid requires that the user wear a device worn on the body and a vibrating piece fitted to a tightly worn headband. Because these headbands must be worn so tight and often cause headaches and irritations, the bone conductor can also be worn on the arm. The other form of this type of hearing aid is more invasive but also more discreet. The use of this hearing aid requires a surgical procedure where a titanium device is attached to a part of the skull near the ear and an external abutment device is worn on the outside of the head where the internal piece is located. The bone anchored hearing aid (BAHA) functions by transmitting sound vibrations through the external device to the bone-anchored titanium device. These vibrations are passed from the skull to the inner ear where nerve fibers are stimulated to allow sound to be heard. Unlike a traditional hearing aid, the BAHA does not amplify sound, but creates it with sound vibration.Like many ITC devices, BAHAs can also come with features that allow the wearer to connect other devices to their hearing aid. It is possible to connect output from a television or mp3 player directly into the BAHA. There are some dangers associated with this type of hearing aid. Because the device is located internally, there is always a risk of infection and the area around where the BAHA is implanted must be cleaned daily and antibiotic cream should be applied to prevent possible infection.