MED-EL’s latest innovations in hearing technology to be presented to professionals at ESPCI

October 16, 2019 – (Innsbruck, Austria) – MED-EL, the global leader in hearing implant technology, will be presenting their award-winning innovations in hearing technology at the ESPCI (European Symposium on Pediatric Cochlear Implantation) in Bucharest on 16th October. MED-EL's next generation products are:

• The SYNCHRONY 2 cochlear implant
• The SONNET 2 audio processor and its wireless connectivity accessories
• The BONEBRIDGE BCI 602 bone conduction implant

Visitors to MED-EL’s stand will have the opportunity to experience, for the first time, the results of these highly innovative products. The changes in hearing technology are the results of excellent partnership between ENT professionals, user feedbacks and science. Not only they improve the hearing quality and usability for the users but also make surgery simpler and less invasive.

Director of Product Management at MED-EL, David Rätz comments about the new benefits: "MED-EL invented the world's first microelectronic multichannel cochlear implant (CI), which was first implanted in 1977. Since then, we have brought numerous world firsts to market maturity. With the all new SYNCHRONY system MED-EL made a further big step in the direction of individualization and thus closest to natural hearing. For us it is of utmost importance to put the user in the center of everything we do. Therefore, we seek the intensive dialogue with professionals and recipients to learn how we can improve our products and to push hearing performance and quality further.”

“With the input of specialists from all over the world, the new SYNCHRONY 2 cochlear implant could be optimized further for intuitive handling. This next generation MED-EL cochlear implant features, among other things, a central electrode lead, resulting in easier surgical planning and allows secure placement in any anatomy, even for very small children”, explains David Rätz.

SYNCHRONY 2

First launched in 2014, MED-EL’s SYNCHRONY cochlear implant revolutionized the cochlear implant industry due to its advanced hearing performance and cutting-edge technology, allowing the patients to also undergo 3.0 Tesla MRI scans without magnet removal.

ENT surgeons worked close with MED-EL to optimize surgical handling, a key issue for them: the more intuitive it is, the more patients they can operate, even those with difficult anatomies. SYNCHRONY 2 therefore boasts the proven performance, MRI safety, and reliability of the SYNCHRONY cochlear implant. In addition, it offers a slimmer, shorter, central electrode with the most flexible electrode arrays and long-term stability. All in the best solution for a simplified surgical approach for individual anatomies, regardless of implanted side.

SONNET 2

MED-EL’s researchers and scientists are continually looking for new ways to improve sound quality for users, and the new SONNET 2 Audio Processor fits to the ‘Made for You’ approach. It needs to be simple to use and match with users’ different lifestyles. SONNET 2 addresses all these needs with its wireless connectivity features, including AudioLink and AudioKey.

SONNET 2 features Bluetooth Low Energy and ASM 3.0 technology. This processor generation can automatically adapt to different situations and filter out background noise better than ever before. Users will no longer struggle, for example, in noisy restaurants or when cycling in the wind. They can even customize their processor to suit their needs.

The new version of the product, which improves the implant and the audio processor, has been developed to be as close as possible to natural hearing.

The new SYNCHRONY system, comprising of the SYNCHRONY 2 cochlear implant, the SONNET 2 audio processor with its connectivity devices and the MAESTRO 8.0 system software was designed to provide close to natural hearing. It was also awarded with the prestigious IF DESIGN AWARD 2019, a worldwide design prize. The Award is run by the world´s oldest independent design organization, Hannover-based IF International Forum Design GmbH. MED-EL won against intense competition; there were 6,400 entries submitted from 50 countries.

BONEBRIDGE BCI 602

In 2012, MED-EL released the world’s first and only active transcutaneous bone conduction implant, BONEBRIDGE. The innovation meant that screws no longer need to be applied through the skin and users do not have a permanent skin wound.

The new BONEBRIDGE BCI 602 implant requires a nearly 50% reduction in drilling depth and provides professionals with a more straightforward and faster surgical procedure. The clear sound quality and high comfort levels that the BONEBRIDGE is known for will not be affected. It will also be compatible with current and future SAMBA audio processors.

This year MED-EL received the prestigious Red Dot Award for the design of the BONEBRIDGE implant. The jury recognized the ergonomic design of the implant and how this could benefit future patients.

All the new implants are compatible with old audio processors to deliver backwards compatibility, which is part of the company’s philosophy.

About MED-EL

MED-EL Medical Electronics, a leader in implantable hearing solutions, is driven by a mission to overcome hearing loss as a barrier to communication. The Austrian-based, privately owned business was co-founded by industry pioneers Ingeborg and Erwin Hochmair, whose ground-breaking research led to the development of the world’s first micro-electronic multi-channel cochlear implant (CI), which was successfully implanted in 1977 and was the basis for what is known as the modern CI today. This laid the foundation for the successful growth of the company in 1990, when they hired their first employees. To date, MED-EL has grown to more than 2,000 employees and 33 locations worldwide.

The company offers the widest range of implantable and non-implantable solutions to treat all types of hearing loss, enabling people in 123 countries enjoy the gift of hearing with the help of a MED-EL device. MED-EL’s hearing solutions include cochlear and middle ear implant systems, a combined Electric Acoustic Stimulation hearing implant system, auditory brainstem implants as well as surgical and non-surgical bone conduction devices. www.medel.com

CEO

Doz. DI Dr DDr med. h.c. Ingeborg Hochmair

Press contact

Patrick D`Haese 
MED-EL Medical Electronics 
Fürstenweg 77a 
6020 Innsbruck 
Austria 

T: +43 5 7788-0 
E:  [email protected] 
www.medel.com