SOFT TISSUE PLACEMENT OF IMPLANTABLE MICROPHONE

摘要

Provided herein are systems and methods where an implantable microphone of an implantable hearing system is positioned at a location spaced from the surface of the patient's skull. More specifically, the microphone is mounted to soft tissue of the patient to at least partially isolate the microphone from skull-borne vibrations. Accordingly, by utilizing a soft tissue mount, the microphone may be made more sensitive to ambient sounds with reduced concern to amplification of non-ambient vibrations caused by skull-borne vibrations including, for example, transducer feedback, talking and/or chewing. The system will further include an auditory stimulation device that is located proximate to the skull of the patient and which is operative to stimulate an auditory component of the patient in accordance with an output signal generated by the microphone. A subcutaneously routed signal wire may extend between the implanted microphone and the auditory stimulation device.