Time Course of Speech Perception Performance Related to Advanced Bionics V1 Device Revision

To report the failure rates, revision rates, and time course of speech perception performance changes for recipients of the Advanced Bionics HiRes Ultra and Ultra 3D V1 internal devices at a large cochlear implant program.

Retrospective case series.

Tertiary referral center.

Adults and children implanted with Advanced Bionics HiRes Ultra or Ultra 3D V1 internal devices.

Device failure rates, revision surgery rates, and speech perception performance over time.

As of February 2025, a total of 72 of the 105 devices monitored were identified at our institution as having device failure consistent with voluntary field corrective action (FCA). The device survival rate is 30.6% in 36 adult ears and 33.3% in 69 pediatric ears. Of those with subsequent revision surgery, routine speech perception testing showed declines in speech in quiet performance as early as ~12 months before revision for adult ears and ~6 months pre-revision for pediatric ears. Both patient groups experienced similar speech perception recovery as early as 3 months and stabilized by 9 months post-revision.

The 7-year survival rate of initial V1 devices is around 30% to 33%, with the anticipation of an even lower survival rate over a longer period. Although speech perception recovers over time, it may take as long as 9 months post-revision for patients to return to pre-failure levels. We recommend rigorous monitoring using speech perception testing, both during V1 integrity monitoring and post-revision, to understand the impact of device failure in individual patients, particularly for children.