What Is A BAHA Implant

The Bone Anchored Hearing Aid (BAHA) is an innovative surgical implant device that has been approved by the food and drug administration to help people with hearing loss. The device is proven to be reliable and beneficial for patients with chronic ear infections, microtia and, single-sided deafness for which conventional hearing aids are deemed to be ineffective. The system works on the principle by achieving hearing through bone conduction, i.e., by transmitting the sound waves through the bone rather than through the medium of air. Trough this principle, the sound waves received by the system directly reach cochlea bypassing the outer and the middle ear where the information is converted into neural signals and transferred to the brain.

The BAHA system consists of three parts, namely the titanium fixture, the abutment, and the external sound processor. The titanium implant, along with the abutment, is placed behind the deaf ear by a small surgical procedure under anesthesia and allowed for osteointegration with the bone tissue for 3-4 months. Once the implant is firmly attached, the external sound processor is connected. Mostly the surgery is performed as an outpatient procedure, or maximum requires a one-night stay in the hospital.

Suitable Candidates For BAHA

The candidates suitable for the procedure should have hearing loss either from one of the below-mentioned conditions such as:

• Congenital atresia
• Chronic otitis media
• Cholesteatoma
• Middle ear dysfunction/disease
• Sudden hearing loss
• Infection of the ear canal resulting in chronic draining ears
• Meniere's disease

Advantages Of BAHA

The device is a boon for individuals who can't use conventional hearing aids. The various benefits include:

• Individuals can hear sounds more clearly due to its principle of bone conduction
• Comfortable to wear
• Can test the equipment before the surgery is conducted
• It does not damage or harm residual hearing
• The device is easy to maintain with a simple design
• Connecting and disconnecting the sound processor is very easy and simple

There are different kinds of BAHA sound processors available to choose from that are compatible with devices like iPods, cell phones, and MP3 players.

To know if you're the right candidate for BAHA, then fix your appointment with Dr.Shailesh Pandey at AUM ENT Clinic. A highly equipped clinic where advanced ENT surgeries are performed.

Blog reviewed by:Dr. Shailesh Pandey
Mail Us: aumentclinic@gmail.com
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