What is Baha?
The Baha® system utilizes your body’s natural ability to conduct sound. Bone, like air, can conduct sound vibrations. For people with hearing loss, this provides another pathway to perceive sound.
Typical hearing aids rely on air conduction and a functioning middle ear. In cases where the middle ear function may be blocked, damaged or occluded, the Baha system may be a better option as it bypasses the middle ear altogether. Instead, sound is sent around the damaged or problematic area, naturally stimulating the cochlea through bone conduction. Once the cochlea receives these sound vibrations, the organ ‘hears’ in the same manner as through air conduction; the sound is converted into neural signals and is transferred to the brain, allowing a Baha recipient to perceive sound.
The Baha® system
1. A sound processor picks up sound vibrations. 2. An abutment is attached to the sound processor and the implant. The abutment trasfers the sound vibrations from the processor to the implant.
3. A small titanium implant is placed in the bone behind the ear where it fuses with the living bone. This process is called osseointegration. The implant transfers the sound vibrations to the functioning cochlea.
What does the sound processor look like?
The Baha Sound Processor snaps on to the abutment. The processor is small, discreet and is available in a variety of colors. The volume controls are conveniently located for easy adjustments.
Baha system Diagram
Image is larger than actual size of device.
1. Baha Sound Processor
2. Abutment
3. Titanium Implant
More about Osseointegration: The foundation of Baha is the Brånemark system. In the early 1960s Professor Brånemark discovered that titanium provides an excellent material for implantable devices. Titanium is accepted by the human body and forms a bond with surrounding bone. This is a process he termed “osseointegration,” which takes place as the titanium implant integrates and forms a permanent structure with the living bone.
The process of bone osseointegration is also the foudation for dental implants. This system has been developed not only for Baha hearing implants but also for Cochlear’s craniofacial reconstruction system, Vistafix.
