Clinical outcomes with the Kanso™ off-the-ear cochlear implant sound processor

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Medical Devices
• Hearing Science

Background:

• Cochlear implant sound processors are crucial for hearing rehabilitation.
• Off-the-ear (OTE) processors offer an alternative to traditional behind-the-ear (BTE) devices.
• Evaluating new OTE processor performance and user acceptance is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the clinical outcomes and subjective user ratings of the Kanso™ OTE cochlear implant sound processor.
• To compare the Kanso processor's performance with conventional BTE sound processors.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, within-subject study design was employed.
• Twenty post-lingually hearing-impaired cochlear implant recipients using Nucleus® 5 or Nucleus® 6 BTE devices participated.
• Performance was evaluated using various single and dual-microphone programs in different noise conditions.

Main Results:

• No significant performance difference was observed between Kanso and Nucleus 6 for words in quiet or sentences in co-located noise.
• A minor performance decrement was noted with Kanso's highly directional programs in spatially separated noise compared to BTE devices.
• The Kanso's SCAN program showed significant improvements in spatially separated noise over single-microphone and Standard programs.
• Participants reported significantly higher satisfaction with Kanso regarding comfort, aesthetics, ease of use, music perception, and overall hearing.

Conclusions:

• Dual-microphone directional processing in OTE devices offers substantial benefits over single-microphone systems.
• The Kanso OTE sound processor demonstrates favorable clinical outcomes and high user acceptance.