For adults with severe to profound hearing loss who receive limited benefit from hearing aids, the Cochlear Implant Program at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview provides expert clinical care. An ever-increasing number of deaf and hard-of-hearing adults are now enhancing their primary mode of communication with the auditory information provided by a cochlear implant.

Cochlear implants are electronic devices designed to restore some degree of hearing in severely to profoundly hard-of-hearing people. Unlike hearing aids, which amplify sound and require use of remaining hair cells in the cochlea, cochlear implants bypass the damaged hair cells in the inner ear by using electrical impulses to directly stimulate the auditory nerve fibers.

Today’s cochlear implants have made significant strides in signal processing so more information can be delivered at faster rates than with older version cochlear implants. They are extremely sophisticated devices that provide a rich sound quality.