Globally unique MRI Guarantee: the highest MRI safety with hearing implants from MED-EL

Worry-free, safe magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with MED-EL cochlear, middle ear or bone conduction implants – now with lifetime guarantee! For immediate access to an MRI examination without surgery, discomfort or hearing downtime.

Innsbruck, 02.02.2021: The innovative design of the implant magnets from MED-EL is completely safe during an MRI examination. As of now, the global innovation leader in hearing solutions is emphasizing this safety with an MRI guarantee that is as yet unmatched. With this, MED-EL is the only manufacturer to accept liability for damage to all cochlear implants that have been produced since 1994, all bone conduction implants and the current generation of middle ear implants during an MRI examination. Users of these MED-EL implants can therefore not only undergo an MRI examination at any time without the need for surgical removal of the magnets* and without pain – they can also do so safely and with no worries. 

Three in four people will require an MRI scan in the next ten years**. Whether routine or in an emergency: patients with severe hearing loss may face a challenge if the magnets in their hearing implants are not safe inside the MRI machine. This requires the prior surgical removal of the magnets. Hearing ability is temporarily lost and long-term damage to the implant may occur. If the patient declines surgery, they may suffer from severe pain during the examination coupled with the possible dislocation of the magnet.

The highest MRI safety with MED-EL

Not all implants carry this risk. As a leading manufacturer of implantable hearing solutions, MED-EL has for more than twenty years made a point of only producing implants that offer outstanding MRI safety. To emphasise this requirement, MED-EL offers the unique MRI Guarantee which means no damage to the device during an MRI examination. MED-EL is thereby the only manufacturer to issue its users with a comprehensive global lifetime MRI guarantee. 

“The MRI Guarantee ensures more safety, comfort and peace of mind during MRI examinations,” says Alexander Hofer, Corporate Director of Product Management at MED-EL. “We take care of our users for a lifetime and they should have the opportunity to make use of everything modern medicine has to offer. This is especially important when diagnosing serious illnesses such as cancer, tumours, multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease,” stresses Alexander Hofer.

Being able to undergo magnetic resonance imaging immediately can also be crucial in emergencies such as an accident. A further benefit: people with severe hearing loss only have to go without their ability to hear during the MRI examination itself.

Innovative technology excludes complications

The safe and reliable technology from MED-EL ensures that the magnets in place during the magnetic resonance imaging are neither damaged, nor move causing pain. Only the external components, such as the audio processor, must be removed prior to the MRI examination.

“MED-EL has developed its own highly innovative, patented cochlear implant system with state-of-the-art implant magnets and their fixation within the implant. This excludes, for example, a dislocation of the magnet during an MRI scan, which can be very painful for the patient,” says Martin Zimmerling, Head of Implant Development at MED-EL. “With the SYNCHRONY cochlear implants, the magnet can freely rotate and align according to the magnetic field of the MRI scan. With the altered implant design, undesirable forces during the MRI scan and the associated pain for the patient are reliably prevented,” explains Martin Zimmerling. “We are proud not only that the latest generation of our cochlear implants is compatible with MRI machines, but that all cochlear implants produced since 1994 are too, as well as all bone conduction implants and the latest middle ear implant from MED-EL.”

The increasing significance of magnetic resonance imaging makes it clear how important it is to provide people with severe hearing loss access to this gentle and high-resolution imaging process. MED-EL rises to this responsibility and provides extra security and comfort for all users with the MRI Guarantee.  

*So as to avoid imaging difficulties in the immediate vicinity of the implant, it may be advisable to remove the magnets.

**Source: OECD. Magnetic resonance imaging exams 2016–2019.

Editor’s note: Current implants from Advanced Bionics, Cochlear, and MED-EL are all tolerant of 1.5T and 3.0T MRIs with the magnet in place. Also, Advanced Bionics’ previous implant, the HiRes 90k Ultra, is tolerant of 1.5T MRIs with the magnet in place.