Vibrant Soundbridge Offers New Alternative for Hearing-Impaired Military Personnel
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (Portsmouth, Virginia) has become the first military medical facility to offer the Vibrant® Soundbridge™, announced Kirk Davis, president and CEO of San Jose, Calif.-based Symphonix Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ: SMPX), the company which develops and manufactures the device.
The Vibrant Soundbridge is a surgical implant designed to treat moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss, the most common form of hearing impairment. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the device for use in the U.S., and it is currently available at hospitals across the country.
A 66 year-old man, with 22 years of active naval service, received the Vibrant Soundbridge yesterday during an outpatient surgical procedure at the medical center. 'Despite an excellent hearing conservation program, hearing loss is common among military personnel, who often have exposure to industrial noise,' stated CAPT Lorenz F. Lassen, director of surgical services for Naval Medical Center Portsmouth and the surgeon who performed the procedure. 'For many people, the conventional amplification provided by hearing aids has limited benefit. The availability of the Vibrant Soundbridge provides doctors with a viable treatment alternative to offer these patients.'
Naval Medical Center Portsmouth is among the first group of hospitals to adopt the Vibrant Soundbridge as a treatment option since the device became commercially available a few weeks ago. 'The military has a long history of rapidly adopting new medical technology to benefit people serving our nation,' said Gary Saxton, vice president of sales and marketing at Symphonix and a former Army officer. 'We will increasingly work with select military facilities nationwide who will offer the Soundbridge technology to their active duty and retired military personnel.'
About Naval Medical Center Portsmouth
Naval Medical Center Portsmouth is the oldest continuously running hospital in the Navy. 4,300 officers, sailors and civilians work in locations from Yorktown to Chesapeake to deliver healthcare to the 420,000 active duty members, family members and retirees living in the area.
About Symphonix
Founded in 1994, Symphonix Devices, Inc. is a hearing technology company dedicated to developing a family of products to improve communication ability and quality of life for the millions of hearing-impaired individuals limited by current hearing solutions.
Symphonix' Vibrant Soundbridge is a surgical implant designed to work with the natural structures of the middle ear to enhance hearing and communication ability for people with hearing impairment. The device can be implanted during a short, outpatient surgical procedure. Worldwide, more than 400 patients have been implanted with the Vibrant Soundbridge. More information about Symphonix can be found at https://www.symphonix.com, or by calling 1-800-833-7733.
Except for historical information, statements made in this press release are 'forward looking statements' and are subject to a number of uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the Company's products failing to achieve widespread market acceptance. For further information, refer to the risk factors described in the Company's Form 10Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2000.
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Vibrant is a registered trademark of Symphonix Devices, Inc. Soundbridge is a trademark of Symphonix Devices, Inc.
