INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA — MED-EL has announced the launch of TICI UNICO, a totally implantable cochlear implant designed to provide continuous access to sound without an externally worn sound processor or other external components.
The company describes TICI UNICO as the world’s first and only commercially available cochlear implant in which all components—including the microphone—are implanted beneath the skin. Designed for people with severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss, the system is intended to provide access to sound throughout the day and night, including while sleeping, exercising and participating in water-based activities.
The launch represents a significant departure from conventional cochlear implant systems, which typically pair an implanted internal component with an externally worn sound processor. With TICI UNICO, sound is instead captured by an implanted microphone through the skin, converted into electrical signals and delivered to the cochlea to stimulate the auditory nerve.
“TICI UNICO is a new category of an implant. It is totally new and it is the realisation of a dream that I have had for a very long time. For the first time, invisible hearing with a cochlear implant is possible.”
— Dr. Ingeborg Hochmair, Co-founder and CEO of MED-EL
A Fully Implanted Cochlear Implant
Developing a microphone capable of operating effectively beneath the skin has been one of the central technical challenges associated with creating a totally implantable cochlear implant. According to MED-EL, its implanted microphone technology is designed to capture sound through the skin while maintaining hearing performance comparable to the company’s established cochlear implant solutions.
Because the entire system is implanted, recipients do not need to put on or remove an external sound processor. MED-EL says users can continue hearing while the implanted device is charging, allowing the system to provide continuous access to sound around the clock.
Potential benefits highlighted by the company include hearing during sleep and water-based activities, greater discretion for people who prefer a non-visible hearing solution, and eliminating the need to manage, wear or remove external hearing equipment.
TICI UNICO is rechargeable and is MR Conditional at both 1.5 Tesla and 3.0 Tesla under specified conditions.
Moving Beyond Invisibility
While eliminating visible external hardware is one of the most obvious differences between TICI UNICO and conventional cochlear implant systems, clinicians involved in early implantations have pointed to continuous access to sound as another potentially important aspect of the technology.
“TICI UNICO is a game changer. I initially thought the main advantage would be that it is invisible, but it is much more than that. Twenty-four-hour hearing is a real change in the implant world.”
— Prof. Philippe Lefèbvre, Head of the ENT Department at CHU Liège
Prof. Joachim Müller, Associate Professor for Otology and Cochlear Implants at LMU University Hospital Munich, also noted the potential significance for recipients who would prefer not to have their hearing technology visible externally.
One of the first TICI UNICO recipients, identified by MED-EL as Thomas, described the difference as being able to wake up and fall asleep hearing without needing to put on or remove hearing technology.
Candidacy and Availability
TICI UNICO is intended for people with severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss who may benefit from a cochlear implant. MED-EL says eligibility is determined through a comprehensive assessment by a hearing implant specialist and that there is no upper age limit for candidacy.
The system has received CE Mark approval and is being introduced in various European markets. MED-EL said its UK and Ireland team will provide additional information regarding local availability, eligibility and access.
The launch expands MED-EL’s existing cochlear implant portfolio with an option intended for candidates who value continuous hearing and a completely implanted system without externally worn components.
About MED-EL
MED-EL Medical Electronics is an Austrian-based, privately owned hearing implant company founded by Ingeborg and Erwin Hochmair. Their research contributed to the development of an early microelectronic multichannel cochlear implant, first implanted in 1977. Today, MED-EL employs more than 3,100 people across approximately 30 locations worldwide and offers cochlear implants, middle ear implants, electric-acoustic stimulation systems, auditory brainstem implants, and surgical and nonsurgical bone conduction solutions.
