Pennsylvania Ear Institute Expands Cochlear Implant Expertise

There’s good news for patients considering cochlear implants: the Pennsylvania Ear Institute (PEI) of Drexel University has added to its expertise.

Dr. Rebecca Blaha, lead audiologist at PEI, has completed a 10-week course at the Institute of Cochlear Implant Training which will not only allow patients access to the latest cochlear implant technology but also offers Doctor of Audiology students in Osborne Audiology at Drexel the opportunity to see more cochlear implant evaluations and follow-up services completed on patients at PEI. 

When Dr. Blaha — who took over as lead audiologist at PEI six years ago and provides cochlear implant services there — began researching the course, she saw a review from colleague Stacy Douberly, AuD, from Penn Medicine and adjunct professor who teaches the cochlear implant course at Osborne Audiology. Dr. Blaha registered for the course and was one of 44 people from across the U.S. selected to participate. The course included 10 weeks online and a day and a half of hands-on instruction at the Cochlear Americas headquarters in Lone Tree, Colorado. Cochlear Americas is one of three implant manufacturers — along with Advanced Bionics and Med El — worldwide approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

For the past several years, Dr. Blaha has built up PEI’s cochlear implant program by establishing relationships with major medical centers and local Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialists for patient sharing. 

“Over that period, we’ve actually grown our program,” said Dr. Blaha. “So even though we aren’t directly affiliated with a medical center, we have a fairly large patient base where we do evaluations to qualify patients and we have referrals. And, we do mapping and follow-up services for recipients with implants.” 

A cochlear implant uses electrical stimulation to pulse at a rate that will essentially give access to sound to a patient who has significant hearing impairment. The implant is an electrode fed into the inner ear that curls around cochlear structures. When the electrodes are pulsed using an electric current, it will pulse right along the nerve fibers so they can directly be activated. This sends a signal of sound to the brain, and with training, the brain learns to understand the message (or sound) as speech. 

“I was very pleased with the quality of the coursework,” said Dr. Blaha. “Every time I’ve trained in the past, it’s been through a manufacturer for one of its products. It helps me develop my skills to see it on a regular basis and to keep current with each manufacturer and the new products. The fact that we (at PEI) can service all of the manufacturers is something is very beneficial to our patients.”