Re:Who Pays the Price When Cochlear Implants Go Obsolete?
by Izmaki on Tuesday May 23, 2023 @06:58PM
(#36051897)
I believe the "cocleah system" is guaranteed to function for that long, yes. The part inside of you is very simplistic and doesn't do much (or anything) besides translating data into electrical signals. It's the unit on the outside that gets replaced frequently.
https://media.arkansasonline.com/img/photos/2015/07/13/cochl...
The "external sound processor and transmitter" is an electronic appliance, like a phone, which the patient removes and puts on, like glasses. It can be lost or damaged.
The reason that the external device is abandoned by the manufacturer is the same for abandoning phone software and batteries: market strategy.
My personal opinion is that the most basic product line must guarantee quality and two or three decades of support. Part of the product is INSIDE of the patient. State of the art devices for people who can afford them are another matter entirely.
However, sometimes the difference between Basic and "State of the art" in medicine is non existent, and the patient only pays for it because they don't know better. Most of them don't like it when they get the full story.