Cochlear implants are very reliable, but sadly they can fail.
Although cochlear implants are exceptionally reliable, failures do occur. Helen is interested in minimising the trauma for the patient when they experience a failing device, by improving test methods and monitoring. She collaborated with Cochlear to work on a new method of testing cochlear implants, and completed a project looking at patients experiencing a particular type of device failure.
Helen also studied three patients who had an unusual collection of air over their implant package after hard nose blowing. This caused a total loss of sound, which thankfully was only temporary. All resolved completely within a few days.
University of Southampton Auditory Implant Service