Reliable Hearing by Design: MED-EL Cochlear Implants

Hearing connects us to life’s cherished moments. That’s why we’re here to help people with hearing loss experience wonderful moments day after day.

Reliability

360° Safety and Reliability

Since the very beginning, our life-changing devices have been developed with a complete 360-degree view of cochlear implant reliability and safety in mind. 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 essential for cochlear implant safety. Without considering these aspects, creating a safe and reliable hearing experience just isn’t possible.

Every MED-EL recipient puts their trust in us. We know you count on us to hear everything you love every day, and we’re committed to providing you with reliable cochlear implants that meet the highest quality and safety standards on the market.

360 Safety and Reliability

Our complete 360° approach to cochlear implant safety and reliability focuses on five critical areas:

Implant Reliability
Implant reliability includes both manufacturer-reported data as well as data reported by clinics in peer-reviewed publications.
Electrode Safety
Electrodes shouldn’t harm the delicate structures in the cochlea while providing effective stimulation.
Safe Stimulation
Stimulation must be safe and exclude harmful direct electrical currents.
MRI Safety*
Modern cochlear implants should provide you with the possibility to undergo MRI scans without the need for surgery,** and without hearing downtime.
Audio Processor Reliability
Audio processor reliability includes both reports on repair rates as well as the audio processor not falling off your head.
Reliability

Leading in Cochlear Implant Reliability

All of our latest-generation titanium implants have an overall cumulative survival rate of over 99%—reliability performance that no other cochlear implant manufacturer has achieved.[ft][ft][ft]

It is not by chance that our cochlear implants come with outstanding reliability. It’s 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. That way we can always 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’s 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.
Reliability

Reliable Hearing by Design

Find out why MED-EL leads in cochlear implant reliability performance.

The Value of a Reliable Implant

Choosing a cochlear implant can be a decision for life. With a MED-EL cochlear implant, you’ll have hearing you can always count on. Higher implant reliability can lead to a lower risk of additional surgery and higher satisfaction.

The Cumulative Survival Rate (CSR) is the measure of how reliable each implant model is over time. For example, a CSR of 99% within seven years means that the probability of your cochlear implant providing continued benefits after seven years is 99%.

Reliability
Reliability

MED-EL Cochlear Implant Reliability

MED-EL reliability reporting is compliant with the International Standard ISO 5841-2:2014[ft] and the principles set out in the European Consensus on Cochlear Implant Failures and Explantations.[ft]

With all of our latest-generation titanium implants since 2006 having an overall cumulative survival rate of over 99%, MED-EL leads in cochlear implant reliability.[ft][ft][ft]

MED-EL, Data on file as of January 2, 2023

Reliability

Reliable Cochlear Implants You Can Trust

SYNCHRONY 2 has one of the best cochlear implant reliability performance records on the market, with an overall CSR of 99.97% within three years.[ft][ft][ft]

99.97%CSR within 3 years

Reliable Cochlear Implants in the Long-Term

We know that manufacturer’s reports alone don’t always paint the whole picture. That’s why it’s important to look at independent data reported by clinics.

A study using data from a clinic in Canada compared cochlear implant cumulative survival rates after ten years.[ft] It found that MED-EL had higher cumulative survival rates than Cochlear and Advanced Bionics.

Adapted from Lane et al., 2019. This graph depicts the most recently released and technologically comparable implants from each manufacturer for which ten-year cumulative survival rate data is available (implanted in this clinic from 2000 to 2009).

Reliability

A Deaf Ear Is Not a Dead Ear

Your cochlea is an organ with extremely delicate structures. Preserving its natural function is important since you or your loved one may have some remaining natural hearing, known as residual hearing. Keeping residual hearing is important because it may enable you to benefit from future technologies.

Our competitors often use stiff straight and pre-curved electrode arrays, which are far more likely to cause the loss of residual hearing.[ft][ft][ft][ft][ft][ft][ft] Unlike those arrays, MED-EL’s arrays are flexible. This allows them to be inserted into the cochlea without harming those delicate structures so residual hearing is not lost.[ft][ft][ft][ft][ft][ft][ft][ft]

Reliability

Safe Stimulation

When it comes to long-term cochlear implant safety, safe stimulation is an absolute must. Our cochlear implants have safety capacitors that safeguard the cochlea from direct current that could damage neural tissue.[ft][ft]

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 that’s ready to deliver more advanced sound coding for many years to come.[ft][ft]

Reliability

Made for MRI

With most people needing an MRI in the next 10 years, we believe that every single hearing implant should be designed for outstanding MRI safety. That is why we created the first cochlear implant that offers outstanding safety during 1.5 and 3.0 Tesla MRI scans.

Other implants may require surgery to remove the magnet of the implant before an MRI, or risk pain, discomfort, or damage to the implant.* [ft] [ft]

With our SYNCHRONY 2 cochlear implant, there’s no surgery** and no hearing downtime. You’ll have peace of mind knowing you’re ready for anything life brings.

easyMRI
Diamond-White

Great Protection. Guaranteed.

Because of our long and positive experience with MRIs and cochlear implants, we offer a life-long MRI guarantee. We promise to replace your implant in the very unlikely event that it’s damaged during an MRI scan.

This life-long MRI guarantee for cochlear implants is the first and only to be offered by any company and covers all MED-EL cochlear implants from as far back as 1994. So you can feel confident about any future MRI scans.

Reliable Hearing for Everyday Activities

It’s not just our implants that are designed to deliver outstanding reliability. Our audio processors are, too. You need a working external audio processor to be able to hear with an implant. With a reliable audio processor, you or your loved one will have reliable hearing for everyday activities.

Reliability

Reliable Audio Processors

Our latest generation audio processors have a proven record of outstanding reliability. In fact, the average monthly repair rate[ft] of all our audio processors is low.[ft]

If an audio processor has an average monthly repair rate of 0.32%, it means that, on average, 32 audio processors have been returned for repair each month out of 10,000 total audio processors sold in the world by the end of the period covered.

Optimised to Stay Securely in Place

Audio processor retention is important and often overlooked. MED-EL audio processors are optimised to stay securely in place thanks to our unique S-Vector magnet technology. Our new S-Vector magnet is 25% stronger so you can trust that your audio processor won’t fall off—especially if you enjoy sports like running or swimming or have a job where you often suddenly move your head.

S-Vector magnet technology
Reliability

Reliable Hearing You Can Trust

From the very beginning, MED-EL has been guided by our founders, the inventors of the modern micro-electronic multichannel cochlear implant. Our mission is to overcome hearing loss as a barrier to communication and quality of life.

To us, reliability is not a percentage on an earnings report for investors. Every recipient is a person, not a number. When you choose MED-EL, we know you are putting your trust in our hands, so we make sure we are always there for you.

* 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.