INTRACOCHLEAR NANOTECHNOLOGY AND PERFUSIO HEARING AID DEVICE

摘要

An intra-cochlear implant (401) is provided for aiding in the hearing of a patient. The implant includes a body portion (301) implantable within an interior of a cochlea of a patient. The body portion (301) has a proximal end (394), a distal end (396) and a primary axis (A). A plurality of signal carrying electrodes (406) extends along the body portion (301 ). The electrodes (406) have proximal ends (412) and distal ends (414), with the proximal ends (412) being capable of receiving a signal from a signal generator (309), and the distal ends (414) being capable of delivering the received signal to an anatomical receptor within a cochlea. At least several of the plurality of electrodes (406) have a nanoelectrode-sized portion (414). The implant also may include a fluid delivery system of tubules (408, 410), reservoirs (315), and pumps (314) for the delivery of chemicals and cells to activate regeneration of neural elements lost during the hearing loss process.