Device for assessment of 8th nerve function and cochlear implant candidacy

NIH RePORTER · NIH · R43 · $295,770 · view on reporter.nih.gov ↗

Abstract

The overall aim of this project is to develop a commercial device for acquiring electrically evoked auditory brainstem responses (eeABR) using direct promontory stimulation for the assessment of 8th nerve function for the determination of cochlear implantation candidacy. The proposed device will be compact and portable using an innovative amplifier hardware design to overcome the limitations of currently available evoked potential systems. New stimulation and data processing strategies will be developed in order to facilitate the extraction of eeABRs. As of 2019, more than 736,900 patients have received cochlear implants (CI) worldwide. It is important to assess the functional status of the cochlea and 8th nerve prior to implant surgery. There is currently no commercially available device for this purpose. As such, in difficult to assess cases, physicians have had to use standard evoked potential systems with prototype or rudimentary electrical stimulation units in order to make the necessary assessments of implantation candidacy. These pieced together configurations are most often fraught with noise problems and/or shortcomings. The present proposal will develop an effective eeABR testing device using bio-amplifiers with hardware blanking and fast recovery circuitry, integrated electrical stimulation circuitry, innovative stimulation techniques, and associated shielded disposable stimulation and recording electrodes. During Phase I, the effectiveness of the proposed device will be tested via animal experiments.

Key facts

NIH application ID
10820618
Project number
1R43DC021116-01A1
Recipient
INTELLIGENT HEARING SYSTEMS
Principal Investigator
Rafael E Delgado
Activity code
R43
Funding institute
NIH
Fiscal year
2024
Award amount
$295,770
Award type
1
Project period
2024-06-10 → 2026-05-31