Cochlear implants are devices, which are implanted into the cochlea to aid hearing via stimulation of the cochlear nerve. For this study, we were interested in understanding the age-related changes in the impedances of the electrodes implanted with a cochlear implant system. The impedances of the electrodes reflect the integrity of the implanted system in the inner ear, and the efficiency of transmission of information from the externally worn device to the implanted system. Thus, monitoring cochlear impedances is important for the patient's rehabilitation. Our hypothesis was that cochlear implant impedances would decrease as an effect of age. Current systems record the impedances via a telemetry system when the patient’s cochlear implant is connected to the programming software. This data is saved within the system and can be retrieved and de-identified within the software. In our investigation, we collected the de-identified impedance data from this system to understand the effects of age. This data was collected from the ETSU Audiology Clinic at the Nave Center. The de-identified data was reviewed and sorted between 3 different age brackets. Data was averaged and compared between age brackets and electrodes. Overall, we found in this study that there are no significant differences between age brackets when comparing cochlear implant impedances across the different electrodes. The slight differences between impedances across electrodes and age brackets could be due to many contributing factors, however, the differences were not considered statistically significant. This study could indicate future directions for further research including, comparing impedance differences between male and female subjects, longitudinal case studies, and comparing across implant manufacturers and device type.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ETSU/oai:dc.etsu.edu:asrf-2020 |
| Date | 25 April 2023 |
| Creators | Boshears, Allison Cheyenne, Slingerland, Sara |
| Publisher | Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University |
| Source Sets | East Tennessee State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Source | Appalachian Student Research Forum |
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