Totally Implantable cochlear implant

[Cyborg]

Is it possible that the Totally Implantable ci clinical trials already started and nobody knows about it besides the company? And that the Totally Implantable cochlear implant all of a sudden is commercially available in 2013?

The Cochlear did say in August 2011 that the completely implantable cochlear implant may well be targeting launch within three years (its now two years).

More information... the Cochlear is using Otologic's Implantable microphone. Otologics Fully Implantable Hearing Device Phase II Results

Results No significant differences between preoperative (AC = 59 dB, BC = 55 dB) and postoperative (AC = 61 dB, BC = 54 dB) unaided pure tone averages were noted (p < 0.05). Pure tone average implant aided thresholds (41 dB) were equivalent to that of walk-in-aided (37 dB) condition with no significant difference (p < 0.05) between patients’ walk-in-aided individual frequency thresholds and implant-aided thresholds. Word recognition scores and hearing in noise scores were similar between the walk-in-aided and for the implant-aided condition. Patient benefit scales will be presented at all end points.
Conclusions Results of the Otologics MET Fully Implantable Hearing Device Phase II trial provide evidence that this fully implantable device is a viable alternative to currently available hearing aids in patients with sensorineural hearing loss.

http://oto.sagepub.com/content/139/2_suppl/P57.2


Is the totally implantable cochlear implant facing commercial availability in early 2013?