On the Evaluation of a SuperPower Sound Processor for Bone-Anchored Hearing

Abstract

Objectives

Performance of a superpower bone-anchored hearing aid (Baha), the Baha Cordelle from Cochlear Bone-Anchored Solutions (BCD1), was compared to its successor, the Baha 5 SuperPower (BCD2)

Design

a comparative study in which each patient served as its own control.

Setting

tertiary clinic.

Participants

Ten experienced BCD1 users with profound mixed hearing loss. For comparison, data from another study with ten experienced users with a severe mixed hearing loss using a Cochlear Baha 5 power sound processor (BCD-P) were included.

Main outcome measures

speech reception thresholds in noise and APHAB and SSQ questionnaires.

Results

Speech reception thresholds for the digits-in-noise test were significantly lower (p<5%), i.e. more favourable, for BCD2 in the speech and noise frontal condition and in the speech frontal and noise contralateral condition than for BCD1. For the group with severe mixed loss fitted with BCD-P the SRTs were not significantly different (p>5%) from the BCD2 values.

With the APHAB questionnaire scores were significantly lower, i.e. more favourable, for the ease-of-communication (p<5%) and the background noise (p<1%) domains for BCD2 than for BCD1. APHAB scores for the aversiveness of loud sounds domain were not significantly different for both devices (p>5%). Scores for the speech and quality domains of the SSQ questionnaire were significantly higher, i.e. more favourable, for BCD2 than for BCD1. APHAB and SSQ scores for BCD-P were not significantly different from those for BCD2 (p>5%).

Conclusions

Data for BCD2 in profound mixed loss are similar to those for BCD-P and a severe mixed loss. Out of ten patients two expressed a strong preference for BCD2 over BCD1 and seven patients had a preference for BCD2 over BCD1. One patient preferred BCD1 because of its built-in telecoil facility.

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