Candidacy Criteria - Baha Bone Conduction
What Conditions can the Baha® System Treat?
For thousands of people worldwide, the Baha system is the treatment of choice. The Baha system is recommended for three different types of hearing loss within specific audiological indications:
- Conductive hearing loss
- Mixed hearing loss
- Single sided deafness (SSD)
Conductive or mixed hearing loss
Causes of conductive or mixed hearing losses can be congenital (present at birth) or acquired, and include:
- Malformation of the external ear, ear canal or middle ear
- Infection of the ear canal resulting in chronic draining ears
- Fixation of the middle ear bones
Traditionally, people with this type of hearing loss have been offered a conventional bone conduction hearing aid. These are either held on the head using a steel spring headband, or included in the frame of a pair of glasses. Traditional bone conduction hearing aids have several disadvantages. The sound quality is poor because the skin acts as a barrier for the sound to travel to the inner ear, resulting in reduced clarity and volume. They can be uncomfortable, causing headaches and discomfort due to the constant pressure of the headband. They are also cumbersome, have poor aesthetics and can be difficult to keep in place.
Baha® solution for conductive or mixed hearing loss
The Baha® system can be a real solution for people with this type of impairment.
The Baha sound processor is attached to a small implant placed in the bone behind the ear, transferring sound directly to the cochlea without involving the ear canal and the middle ear. This system offers significantly better sound quality than that of a traditional bone conduction hearing aids, as the sound is transferred directly to the bone without having to first travel through skin, so that clarity and volume are maintained.
The Baha sound processor works without pressure on the skin, avoiding the headaches and soreness associated with the conventional bone conductor. Baha offers excellent wearing comfort and a better aesthetic result.
Single Sided Deafness (SSD™)
In the U.S. alone, over 60,000 people per year suffer from SSD due to:
- Viral infections
- Meniere’s disease
- Trauma
- Measles
- Acoustic neuroma (often through surgical intervention)
- Sudden deafness
Most people affected by SSD have been left without an adequate hearing solution. To date, the only possible solution has been a traditional CROS (contralateral routing of signals) hearing aid. This system can be limited in terms of performance. Additionally, the handling and aesthetics are considered poor.
For people who suffer from SSD, the limitations presented when this loss occurs are life changing. The reality is that many with SSD have to make very significant life changes. Simple everyday activities, such as those listed below, can become stressful and challenging:
- Crossing the street
- Attending professional meetings
- Going to restaurants
- Interacting with friends and family at social gatherings
- Bicycling
- Jogging
- Driving a car
In group situations loud sounds can be overwhelming and the simplest things in life can become major obstacles. In many cases this leads to the individual with SSD isolating him- or herself - both socially and professionally.
The Baha® solution for SSD
Baha®, a CE marked and FDA cleared solution for SSD, provides a unique benefit. The Baha device is placed on the deaf side behind the ear, and transfers sound through bone conduction, stimulating the cochlea of the normal hearing ear. The Baha system provides the opportunity to hear and understand sounds from both sides where previously the ‘head shadow effect’ masked certain sounds from the deaf ear side. With Baha, there is the sensation of hearing sound from both sides.
