Hearing News Watch

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON — Seattle Children’s anesthesiologist, Dr. Daniel Rubens, has been researching Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) since 2002 and hopes that the launch of his new study will eventually lead to a means of preventing the mysterious condition that results in the death of thousands of seemingly healthy children each year in the US. As reported last year by David Kirkwood at Hearing News Watch, Dr.

Sonova announced on May 4 the acquisition of European behemoth, AudioNova, for € 830 million ($954 million). It is reported to be the largest transaction ever in the hearing aid retail market and makes Sonova-owned retail approximately the same size as retail leader, Amplifon.  Following this acquisition, Sonova will have over 3,300 stores worldwide with over 2,500 locations in Europe.

Cost continues to be one of the key barriers to hearing aid acquisition according to a new report published in the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH). Citing several sources, chief among them a 2011 population-based, longitudinal study that found only one-third of adults with hearing loss acquired hearing aids, Jan Blustein & Barbara Weinstein contrasted the burden of disability

NEW YORK — According to a newly published study in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, researchers at Columbia University found that older adults who use hearing aids performed significantly better on cognitive tests than those who did not–despite having poorer hearing than those who did not wear hearing aids. The study adds further evidence to a growing body of recent research

On April 21st the FDA heard several hours of arguments both in support and against recent PCAST guidance on the deregulation of hearing aids in order to improve affordability and accessibility for consumers. A broad range of experts, including audiologists, physicians, scientists and consumer advocates presented data to support their respective view of the possible changes to how hearing aids

In 1993 the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) held their 5th annual convention in the Arizona desert. The official attendance for the meeting was reported to be 2,300. Move the clock 23 years and a new generation of audiologists joined a stalwart group of AAA founders, exhibitors, clinicians and countless others – some 6,000 attendees in total – to celebrate

UNITED KINGDOM — Batteries provided to hearing aid users in the UK through the National Health Service (NHS) have been recalled over “low risk of batteries exploding during use or if depleted”, according to a government medical safety alert last month. ZeniPower mecury-free hearing aid batteries, manufactured by Zhuhai Zhi Li Battery Co Ltd, with “best before” dates of 08-2018 and

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY — In a strongly worded statement issued on April 13, the Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) accused the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) of attempting to expand the scope of practice for Speech-Language Pathologists to include audiology services. According to the statement, ASHA’s leadership has recently advocated the inclusion of hearing conservation within the SLP scope of practice to “promote

SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND — The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be conducting its greatly anticipated workshop on April 21 in Washington DC. The FDA panel will examine topics ranging from the importance of FDA’s Quality System Regulation (QSR) to whether third-party voluntary standards could replace mandatory FDA controls for a new “basic” class of hearing aid as stemming from

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY — After a summer trip to India to visit his grandfather and assist him in obtaining hearing aids, Mukund Venkatakrishnan came away feeling very negatively about the entire experience. He then took it upon himself over the next two years to see if he could do something about it. After two years of work, 16 year-old Mukund has created