360° View of Cochlear
Implant Safety and Reliability
Our Philosophy
Hearing connects us to so many of life’s cherished moments. That’s why we’re always here to help your patients with hearing loss experience these wonderful moments day after day.
Since the very beginning, the development of our life-changing devices has been guided by our unique 360-degree view of reliability and safety. It’s not only about making our cochlear implants and audio processors as reliable as possible. Electrode design, safe stimulation and MRI safety are also integral aspects of cochlear implant safety. Without taking these into account, creating a safe and reliable hearing experience just isn’t possible.
Every MED-EL recipient is a person who trusts us. We know they count on us to connect them to everything they love every day, and we are committed to providing them with devices that meet the highest quality, safety, and reliability standards on the market.
Leading in Cochlear Implant Reliability
All of our latest-generation titanium implants have an overall cumulative survival rate over 99%—reliability performance that no other cochlear implant manufacturer has achieved. [ft][ft][ft]
The outstanding reliability of our cochlear implants is not by chance. It is the result of the focused oversight and expert craftsmanship that takes place in our state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities. Unlike other cochlear implant producers who outsource manufacturing overseas, every single MED-EL implant is produced at our global headquarters in Austria—and it has been that way for over 30 years. This allows us to consistently maintain the highest standards of European quality and engineering.
We take every detail into consideration, from quality-oriented design and development to vigorous testing and clinical support. With our cutting-edge processes, superior components, and exceptional quality control, it is no coincidence that every MED-EL cochlear implant meets the highest standards for quality, safety, and reliability. But don’t take our word for it—the data speaks for itself.
- 360° comprehensive approach to safety & reliability
- All implants manufactured in Austria
- Unmatched backwards compatibility
Reliability In-Depth
Our Reliability Report gives a complete overview of our latest cochlear implant reliability data.
Download Cochlear Implant Reliability ReportWhat Makes MED-EL’s Hearing Implants So Reliable?
Listen to our podcast series to discover how we ensure that every MED-EL hearing implant meets the highest standards for quality, safety, and reliability.
Electrode Safety: For Atraumatic, Deep Insertion
A deaf ear is not a dead ear, and the cochlea is filled with intricate structures that we want to protect. That’s why, for more than 30 years, we’ve worked to create our ultra-flexible electrode arrays. Uniquely engineered, our electrode arrays are the most atraumatic electrode arrays available.[ft] They reduce the chances of tip fold-over, preserve the delicate structures of the inner ear, and gently adapt to the individual cochlea for deep, atraumatic, and reliable electrode insertion.
- Thinnest full-length electrode array
- Safe and reliable placement
- No harm to basilar membrane
The Role of Lateral Wall Electrode Arrays
Flexible lateral wall arrays are a key factor in allowing deep, safe, and atraumatic insertion. Our slim lateral wall electrodes gently adapt to the shape of each cochlea, protecting those delicate natural structures. This results in both a lower scalar deviation rate and a lower frequency of tip fold-over compared to perimodiolar electrodes. [ft][ft]
“Slim Modiolar Electrodes do not exhibit superior outcomes as compared with lateral wall electrodes.”
—MacPhail et al., 2021
“If one aims to minimize clinically relevant intracochlear trauma, lateral wall arrays would be the preferred option for cochlear implantation.”
—Jwair et al., 2020
How Scalar Deviation Harms the Cochlea
To preserve the delicate structures of the cochlea, the electrode array must be placed fully in the scala tympani. If the electrode deviates into the scala vestibuli, it could allow the endolymph and perilymph fluids to mix. This would impair essential nerve function, and destroy any residual hearing. Your patients’ hearing performance would be permanently affected, and it would leave them unable to benefit from new technologies such as improved coding strategies. [ft][ft][ft][ft]
Scalar Deviation & Speech Perception Scores
Scalar deviation doesn’t just cause structural damage—there’s also evidence that it has a negative effect on speech perception. A meta-analysis of several studies shows that electrodes that stay in the scala tympani will lead to better speech perception than those where the electrode deviates into the scala vestibuli. [ft]
Reliable Scala Tympani Placement
Stiff electrode arrays are far more likely to penetrate and damage the delicate membranes between the scala tympani and scala vestibuli. In contrast, MED-EL’s ultra-flexible, lateral wall arrays are proven to consistently enable scala tympani placement, with an average insertion rate of nearly 100%. This way, we can safely preserve those delicate structures and deliver better hearing performance to your patients. [ft][ft][ft][ft][ft][ft][ft][ft]
Reducing Tip Fold-Over for Reliable Hearing Performance
If the tip of the electrode array folds over on itself, the interface between the electrode contacts and the cochlea can be seriously impacted. Not only can this make fitting the implant more complicated, it also reduces the overall hearing performance for the patient. [ft][ft][ft][ft]
At MED-EL, we designed our electrode arrays to gently adapt to the anatomy of the individual cochlea, minimizing the risk of the tip folding over or getting lodged. In fact, the likelihood of tip fold-over with our electrodes is as low as 1 in 20,000. [ft] In comparison, tip fold-over occurred 1 in 36 times with pre-curved electrodes used by a competitor. [ft]
Safe Stimulation
When it comes to the long-term safety of cochlear implants, safe stimulation is an absolute must. If direct current leaks into the cochlea, it could result in the dissolution of electrode contacts or even damage to neural tissue. [ft][ft][ft][ft][ft][ft][ft][ft] That’s where safety capacitors come in. They work as a gatekeeper, letting alternative current flow back and forth, while blocking harmful direct current, ensuring safe stimulation.
Independent Safety Capacitors
Unlike some cochlear implant manufacturers, MED-EL has an independent safety capacitor for every electrode channel. That way, we can ensure safe, precise, and fast stimulation in the long term. [ft][ft]
Made for MRI
Creating a reliable cochlear implant means creating one that’s ready for the future. With most of your patients needing an MRI in the next 10 years, we believe that every single hearing implant should be designed for outstanding MRI safety.** That’s why we created the revolutionary SYNCHRONY implant magnet—a rotatable, self-aligning magnet that enables 3.0 Tesla MRI scans** with no surgery,*** and no hearing downtime.
Great Protection. Guaranteed.
Because of our long and positive experience with MRIs and cochlear implants, we offer a life-long MRI guarantee. In the very unlikely event that it’s damaged during an MRI scan we will replace the implant.**** Our MRI guarantee is:
- Valid for all MED-EL multichannel cochlear implants since 1994.
- Life-long and worldwide.
- The first and only offered by any hearing implant producer.
With no need to remove the magnet, and a guarantee against damage during an MRI we can offer your patients a reliable cochlear implant experience whatever life brings.
Audio Processor Reliability
It’s not just our implants that are designed to deliver outstanding reliability, but our audio processors too. With a reliable audio processor, your patients save themselves time, money, and hassle. And it’s less trouble for hearing professionals: With fewer issues, you’ll save time on fitting replacements and administrating returns.
Low Monthly Repair Rate
Our latest-generation audio processors have a proven record in the field. The average monthly repair rate shows that a low number of our processors are sent for service. [ft]
Audio Processor Retention
MED-EL audio processors are designed to stay securely in place thanks to our unique S-Vector magnet technology. With 25% greater magnet pull strength, your patients can trust that their audio processors won’t fall off—even single-unit audio processors like RONDO 3.
MED-EL:
A Reliable Partner
For more than 30 years, MED-EL has been a trusted partner and innovation leader in hearing implants. We create and manufacture our implants directly in our Austrian headquarters, ensuring they follow state-of-the-art European engineering, and meet the highest standards in quality and reliability. With this focused oversight and our dedication to quality, we can check and verify every single step of the design and process.
MED-EL has always been privately owned by our founders, so for us reliability is not a percentage or an earnings report for investors. With no shareholders to answer to, we’re in a unique position where we can put the safety and peace of mind of our recipients above all else. And because we believe that everyone should benefit from the latest hearing technology, our latest audio processors work for all our recipients since 1994.
Choosing MED-EL means putting your trust in us. We promise to always be there for you, our professional partner, and for your patients.
- European engineering
- Manufactured on-site
- Dedication to reliability and quality
- Unmatched backwards compatibility
- Committed to recipients
Contact Us
Want to learn more about MED-EL and our life-changing hearing solutions? Simply fill in the form below.
* All registered and currently marketed implants are included in the reliability calculations, and every explanted and returned implant is subject to systematic failure analysis. All failures are classified and Cumulative Survival Rates (CSR) are calculated
in accordance with ISO 5841-2:2014. All confirmed device malfunctions including accident-related failures are considered for reporting. Failures traced back to induced malfunctions are not included in the reported data in compliance with the ISO standard.
The results of the calculations are reported following principles of the European Consensus on Cochlear Implant Failures and Explantations, with adults and children being shown separately and with 95% confidence intervals. Please be aware that confidence
intervals smaller than 0.1% may not be clearly visible in the graphs.
The sample size of each model and population are not provided. MED-EL publishes reliability data one year after the first implantation at the earliest.
** MED-EL
cochlear implants since 1994 are MR conditional. Recipients with a MED-EL cochlear implant may be safely MRI scanned following the conditions detailed in the instructions for use.
*** Unless required for diagnostic reasons.
**** The terms
and conditions of the MRI Guarantee can be found here.
