![Sample our Health and Social Care journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5938/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Health-Social-Care.jpg"})
Abstract
Objective: To describe, in terms of functional gain and word recognition, the audiological results of patients under 18 years of age implanted with the active bone conduction implant, Bonebridge™. Design: Retrospective case studies conducted by reviewing the medical records of patients receiving implants between 2014 and 2016 in the public health sector in Chile. Study sample: All patients implanted with the Bonebridge were included (N = 15). Individuals who had bilateral conductive hearing loss, secondary to external ear malformations, were considered as candidates. Results: The average hearing threshold one month after switch on was 25.2 dB (95%CI 23.5–26.9). Hearing thresholds between 0.5 and 4 kHz were better when compared with bone conduction hearing aids. Best performance was observed at 4 kHz, where improvements to hearing were observed throughout the adaptation process. There was evidence of a significant increase in the recognition of monosyllables. Conclusions: The Bonebridge implant showed improvements to hearing thresholds and word recognition in paediatric patients with congenital conductive hearing loss.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the Otorhinolaryngology Unit at the Dr. Luis Calvo Mackenna Hospital and the Student Health Program of the National School and Scholarship Assistance Council (JUNAEB), both of whom are sponsors of the hearing implant programme. They are also thankful to Melodi Kosaner Kliess from MEDEL (Austria) for her help in language editing of the manuscript.
Declaration of interest
This study did not receive any funding. Eduardo Fuentes-López received support from the National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research (CONICYT) for pursuing doctoral studies in Chile.
The authors declare they had no conflicts of interest in conducting this study.