In the 70's, the Swedish researchers at Sahlgrenska University Hospital and Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg developed original bone anchored hearing aids (known as BAHA for its acronym in English) which are used today by thousands of hearing impaired. Designed for those with a healthy cochlea in the inner ear, but with one of the several conditions that prevent the sound to reach it, the original implants anchored in the bone use a small titanium screw implanted behind the ear to resonate against bones and send sound waves to the cochlea.
People behind the original BAHA decided that, thanks to the newly available technology, a new approach that would involve a totally implanted component could overcome the negative aspects of the bone anchored devices, such as infection and loose screws. The new bone conduction implant (BCI for its acronym in English) is placed directly into the bone behind the ear, and, using inductance, receives signals from an external component that has a microphone. A small speaker placed near the implant in the cochlea regenerates the sound picked up by the microphone, allowing the user to listen. The first patient who was implanted last month was fitted with the new device at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital already underway and new clinical trials.
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