First Hybrid L24 Implant

Patients with severe hearing loss in higher frequencies but who still retain hearing in lower frequencies are often dissatisfied with hearing aids.

These patients have not historically been candidates for cochlear implantation, which is typically reserved for patients with profound hearing loss. The new Nucleus® Hybrid L24 Cochlear Implant System (L24) combines a modified cochlear implant to electrically stimulate the auditory nerve for higher frequencies with amplification of existing hearing in lower frequencies.

This hybrid approach, approved by the FDA in 2014, preserves 60 to 70 percent of hearing in low frequencies, providing an advantage over pure cochlear implantation, especially in noisy environments.

The L24 device has been implanted at only a handful of centers in the United States. Maroun Semaan, MD, performed the first implantation of the L24 device in Northeast Ohio in July 2014.