Results

The first devices were placed in May of 2007.   We placed Lyric devices in 364 patients and 644 ears. Sixty-four of the patients discontinued wearing the devices within the first month. The primary reasons for discontinuing use were persistent otalgia, canal irritation, intolerable occlusion effect or recurrent accumulation of moisture between the device and the tympanic membrane.  In retrospect the majority of these patients had unfavorable canal anatomy. Unfavorable canal anatomy included a narrow anterior posterior dimension, relatively short canal (less than 23 mm), a convexity of the posterior or anterior bony canal wall or a step in the canal floor.  All cases of inflammation and irritation resolved within 5 days. None of the patients were treated with a canal wick or oral antibiotics.

In the remaining 300 patients and 524 ears the devices have been replaced on average every 53 days. Among these initially successful users, 21 patients (37 ears) discontinued using the devices after more than 4 weeks. Various reasons were cited by the patients. Pain was reported in 17/21 patients. Failure to provide adequate amplification was reported by 2 patients. Inability to swim was noted by one patient and intolerable occlusion effect was reported by another patient after 5 weeks. Individual devices have lasted in place as long as 127 days.

The remaining group of 279 patients on average has been using devices for 189 days including replacement of devices. In this group one patient has been using devices continuously for 775 days. Seventy-two patients have been using devices for longer than 380 days. Among the 279 patients, 26 users developed transient canal irritation at some point necessitating the removal of the device for 3-14 days. All of these patients were able to resume use of the device.

Are you a candidate?

The Lyric™

Lyric™ is the world’s first and only 100% invisible extended wear hearing device. The device is comfortably placed in the ear canal and can be used 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for months at a time.* No surgery or anesthesia is required. Unlike many other hearing devices, Lyric is positioned deep inside the ear canal, so it uses your ear’s anatomy to provide exceptional sound quality in both quiet and noisy environments. Lyric lets you hear better and live life to the fullest!

Once placed, Lyric is 100% invisible, allowing you to enjoy all the benefits of better hearing without anyone knowing you’re using a hearing device. There are no batteries to replace and no repairs to make. Just visit your ENT/audiologist office as needed to receive new devices with the latest Lyric technology.

Lyric is programmed for your specific hearing needs. You can adjust the settings and volume on your device as needed, as well as turn the device on and off.

Lyric was developed by InSound™ Medical, Inc. The company was founded by ENT physicians, hearing specialists, and engineers from the University of California, San Francisco and Silicon Valley. For more information and to watch a video on how Lyric works, please visit www.lyrichearing.com.

*Lyric can be worn for up to 120 days at a time. Individual replacement needs may vary.

Dr. Scherl posted the following comment on the New York Times Blog pertaining to an article regarding the Lyric:
 
April 17th, 2008

Hearing aids will never be a perfect substitute for normal hearing! But, in 2008, not needing to remove, touch or manipulate a hearing aid is as close as you can get to having your natural hearing back.

A current standard aid requires the user to re-adapt to their device every morning when they put it in, but with the Lyric the patient acclimates to the aid only once, within the first day it is placed. The Lyric is also a better hearing device because the Lyric allows for sound to be funneled more naturally down the ear canal. The Lyric delivers sound just 3 mm away from the ear drum, unlike standard aids which are more than 1 cm from the tympanic membrane. It just makes better acoustic sense to deliver the sound as close as possible to the ear drum, which is the microphone of the brain.

This really is a new and very different technology. In our practice our patients are uniformly thrilled to be rid of their old aids. It is a minor inconvenience to visit your MD every 3 months but battery length will improve in the years to come. Yes, the cost is high, but the subscription includes at least 4 new devices per ear. Overall our patients have been extremely satisfied with the Lyric and the proof is in their returning every 3 months and renewing their subscriptions after the year is up.

This technology evolved from the innovative and creative genius of a hearing aid engineer and a leading ear doctor. Their vision was combined with a determined team of engineers, audiologists, technicians and financial managers who have worked for 7 years to make a dream come true. This is the nature of American innovation and profit is part of the incentive, but like any technology the cost will probably come down in the future.

Unfortunately many patients are “sold” hearing aids rather than advised by experienced teams of Audiologists and Doctors. Patients need to be educated regarding realistic expectations. Not every patient with significant hearing loss will derive great benefit from their hearing aid. Yet having a frank conversation with a patient and emphasizing what their realistic expectations should be is often at odds with the goal of the practitioner to sell hearing aids. The programming of an aid is truly an art and requires a skilled audiologist willing to listen and work closely with a patient over time. Most state laws allow for the return of the aid within the first month if the patient is not satisfied, so it is difficult to understand why most of the unhappy patients do not return their hearing aids.

-- Michael Scherl, M.D.