Clinical & Recipient Experience With Off The Ear And Behind The Ear Processors

Allison Biever, Au.D. Emily Lundberg, B.A.

Rocky Mountain Cochlear Ear Center Colorado Neurological Institute

Disclosure

*serve on Cochlear’s Audiology Advisory Board

Background

◦  CI manufacturers have offered different styles of processors

to patients, specifically Off-The-Ear (OTE) and Behind-The-Ear (BTE) wearing options.

◦  Some centers are single processor centers; it is sometimes difficult to know which style would work best for a patient.

◦  Potential benefits of an OTE processor might include discretion, ease of use and placement, as well as comfort. Potential benefits of a BTE processor might include familiarity, retention, better battery life.

Clinical Research Questions

What are the subjective benefits reported of users of both processors? Is there a difference in auditory performance between the two processors?

Study Design

◦  Retrospective study design ◦  Speech perception and processor preference data was

gathered for 133 subjects who received a CI532, CI522, CI512 or CI24REH Nucleus device and an Off-The-Ear (OTE - Kanso) and Behind-The-Ear (BTE – N6 or N7) processor.

◦  Surgeries took place between May 2016 to September 2017 for patients seen at RMEC.

Demographics Groups Subjects Age(years)

AtsurgeryInternalDevice

Received

Adult N=106 Range:18-96yrs 66CI53232CI5223CI512

5HYBRIDL24

Pediatric N=27

Range:9moto17yrs 22CI5322CI5223CI512

Total N=133 Range:9moto96yrs 88CI53234CI5226CI512

5HYBRIDL24

User Preference

Preferred Processor

PER

CE

NTA

GE

TOTAL ADULTS PEDIATRIC 0

10

20

30

40

50

60

39

51

10

37

51

12

48 52

OTE

BTE

BOTH

Survey Results - Comfort

Which Processor Is More

Comfortable?

Which Processor Is Easier To Seat?

Which Processor Has Better

Retention?

Which Processor Is More Discreet?

Survey Results – Battery Use, Connectivity &

Performance

Which Processor Is Easier To

Change Batteries?

Is Direct iPhone Connectivity with

a Processor Important?

Which Processor Has Best

Performance?

Hearing Performance Is There A Difference?

Hearing Performance In Noise

BTE OTE

SCO

RE

%

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

75 74

Survey Results – Which Factors Are Most Important?

Factor1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0

Avg.Response

-60.0% -40.0% -20.0% 0.0% 20.0% 40.0% 60.0% 80.0% 100.0%

GanttPercent

Batterylife

Comfort

Discretion

Ease-batteries

Easeofplacement

Familiarity

FMease

Hearspeech

IPhone

Predictabilitybattery

Rechargeablebattery

Retention

4.23

4.47

2.83

3.70

3.80

3.07

3.17

4.87

3.80

4.03

3.80

4.27

FactorImportance

Answer

Null

NotImportant

SomewhatImportant

Neutral

ModeratelyImportant

VeryImportant

Hearing Preservation and Processor Preference

PER

CE

NTA

GE

OF

SUJB

EC

TS

OTE BTE 0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

40

60

Conclusion

◦  Slightly more than 50% preferred BTE over OTE. For pediatrics

the preference was almost equal.

◦  In the categories of comfort, retention, and discretion, OTE was preferred. Changing the batteries was found to be easier and slightly more subjects reported better performance for BTE.

◦  On average, no performance differences in noise between BTE and OTE.

◦  40% of subjects with hearing preservation preferred OTE.

Which Processor Is More Discreet?