Leading hearing implant manufacturer MED-EL sets another revolutionary milestone in its long-standing history of technological innovations.

On 24 September, the first person in Europe received a novel totally implantable cochlear implant (TICI). t was implanted by Prof. Dr. Philippe Lefebvre, head of the ENT Department of the CHU of Liège and Professor at the University of Liège in Belgium within a feasibility study. A young man with close to profound hearing loss was the first person in Europe to receive a fully implantable cochlear implant. The TICI will offer users an even better and more comfortable hearing experience.

Cochlear implants (CI) have long been a standard treatment for individuals with severe to profound hearing loss. The cochlear implant bypasses the non-functioning part of the ear and sends sound information directly to the the hearing nerve via electrical impulses. A CI system currently consist of an internal implant which is surgically placed underneath the skin, and an audio processor which is worn externally, behind or off the ear. The audio processor contains the microphone required to pick up sound as well as the power supply.

“Our cochlear implants have helped hundreds of thousands of people around the world to hear and have improved their quality of life. Many users have expressed the wish for a CI that works without an external component on or off the ear, is invisible and operates even when users are asleep“, says Dr. Ingeborg Hochmair, founder and CEO of MED-EL.

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