ECAP Based Fitting of Cochlear Implants

Background

Clinical fitting procedures of cochlear implants (CIs) have mainly been based on subjective feedback. This may be difficult and time-consuming for CI recipients who are not able to give appropriate feedback. Therefore, objective measures like electrically evoked action potentials (ECAP) have been used to assist fitting. An automatic method named ARTFit has been applied in the new clinical fitting software of MED-EL.

Objectives

The objective of this clinical investigation is to compare the fitting maps obtained using ARTFit with the maps obtained using a classical clinical fitting method.

Methods

The planned sample size consists of experienced22 adults and 10 children. Three different fitting maps are considered: the “clinical” map the subject came with, corresponding to the map mainly used in daily life; the “classical” map, the newly generated map based on subjective feedback; and the new “ARTFit” map, based on ECAP thresholds. The last two maps are compared to the clinical map in terms of: maximum comfortable loudness, speech perception, and fitting time.

Results

20 adults and 3 children have been enrolled. The difference between the MCL profiles of the clinical map and the classical map and the difference between the MCL profiles of the clinical map and the ARTFit map is similar. The speech test results of the classical map and the ARTFit map are also similar. The mean fitting time is reduced approximately by half using the ARTFit fitting compared to the classical fitting method.

Conclusion

First results indicate that ARTFit can be used appropriately for fitting purposes.