Interviews on Hearing Loss Cures Research

Beck: Okay, great. Lets get into Auditory Neuropathy (AN), and by the way, the other name for AN is auditory dys-synchrony, right? Hoffman: Yes, the names are used interchangeably.

Generally, these are out-patient procedures that can easily be performed under local or general anesthesia according to patient preference. They could be done in the office too, but outpatient in an operating room or surgi-center is generally preferred. As you know, there is a tiny titanium implant that is inserted into the lateral table of the mastoid and then connected to an abutment through the skin. We place a dressing on it and the patient goes home. We see them back in the office a week later to make sure everything is healing well. After it heals, and after osseo-integration has occurred, which takes about 90 days, the abutment is ready, and the Baha System can be snapped on and off as desired by the patient.

The take home message for the consumer is that maintenance is key, it cannot be ignored, and it needs to be done daily!