Dr. Thomas Powers from Siemens to announce findings from study "Patient Acceptance of the Revolutionary e2e Wireless™ Technology"
Washington, DC, March 29, 2005 - Siemens Hearing Instruments, Inc. - the pioneer and leader of wireless synchronization in hearing technology - is presenting ACURIS, the world's most technologically advanced digital hearing system to audiologists for the first time at the American Academy of Audiology convention on March 31st - April 2nd.
Pioneered by Siemens, the ACURIS hearing system is designed to deliver remarkable hearing performance with a new level of ease, simplicity and comfort to the more than 28 million Americans with hearing loss. ACURIS's cutting-edge, proprietary e2e (ear-to-ear) wireless technology enables the left and right hearing instruments to communicate with each other and function as one binaural hearing system, thereby creating a level of synchronization never before possible in hearing instruments.
Audiologists from around the world will be able to learn first hand about the benefits of e2e wireless technology when Dr. Thomas Powers, the Chief Research Officer at Siemens, releases the results from a new study called "Patient Acceptance of the Revolutionary e2e Wireless Technology."
The study involves experienced hearing instrument wearers fit with custom ACURIS hearing systems. The results show that in a variety of listening environments, ACURIS wearers reported less effort to adjust or control two hearing instruments with e2e wireless communication. They also found that the instruments were easy to operate and useful in many listening environments with the use of ePocket™ bidirectional remote control.
"ACURIS represents a milestone in hearing technology because for the first time, two hearing instruments synchronize with each other to deliver the best possible listening performance," said Dr. Powers. "There is no better place to talk about ACURIS and its state-of-the-art e2e wireless technology than at the American Academy of Audiology meeting. Siemens is excited to demonstrate how this technology can significantly improve the quality of hearing for people with hearing loss."
About 80% of people with hearing loss would benefit from hearing instruments in both ears. According to the American Academy of Audiology, hearing sounds with both ears, called binaural hearing, is superior to monaural (hearing from one ear). When individuals with hearing loss are fitted with a device in only one ear, the quality of hearing may be compromised. ACURIS's synchronous binaural hearing instruments give the wearer improved hearing performance resulting in better sound quality, localization ability and speech understanding, with advanced directional microphone technology.
"Because the two hearing instruments communicate with each other and automatically adjust to accommodate changes in the listening environment, my patients don't have to worry about adjusting their hearing instruments while they are wearing ACURIS," said audiologist Dr. Caroline Aland, Au.D., F-AAA, from the Chesapeake Hearing Center in Maryland. "The ACURIS hearing instruments with e2e wireless technology provide a significant improvement in technology to my patients."
ACURIS automatically adjusts itself to the wearer's listening environment, but if desired, synchronized controls allow wearers to adjust the volume or program for both ears with a single adjustment to only one instrument. For In-the-Ear custom models, this allows the manufacture of smaller instruments because volume and program controls can be separated between the two instruments making it easier for the wearer to distinguish between the controls when making adjustments. This is particularly important for hearing instrument wearers with dexterity problems or decreased touch sensitivity.
"Hearing each and every word is critical to me as a trial lawyer," says ACURIS wearer Gil Cochran, 63, of Annapolis, Maryland. "With ACURIS, I can hear better than ever because the hearing instruments are connected and work together. This is important in court because the last thing I want to do is fiddle with my hearing instruments in the middle of a trial."
Hearing loss in adults is a common problem in modern society due to the combined effects of aging, noise, disease and heredity. Among the estimated 28 million Americans with a hearing impairment, more than 24 million people have significant hearing loss. Currently, one-third of adults over 65 have hearing loss and 50% of people 75 and older are hearing impaired.
About Siemens
Siemens Hearing Instruments, part of Siemens Medical Solutions, is one of the leading manufacturers of hearing instruments in the United States. Headquartered in Piscataway, New Jersey, the Company offers a range of innovative products, solutions and services to Hearing Care Professionals across the United States. Among its innovative products, the Company designs and manufactures a variety of digital hearing instruments in all styles to improve the quality of life for individuals with hearing loss. Visit www.usa.siemens.com/hearing for more information. Siemens Medical Solutions of Siemens AG (NYSE: SI) with headquarters in Malvern, Pennsylvania and Erlangen, Germany, is one of the largest suppliers to the healthcare industry in the world. The company is known for bringing together innovative medical technologies, healthcare information systems, management consulting, and support services, to help customers achieve tangible, sustainable, clinical and financial outcomes. Employing approximately 31,000 people worldwide and operating in more than 120 countries, Siemens Medical Solutions reported sales of 7.07 billion EUR, orders of 8.12 billion EUR and group profit of 1.05 billion EUR for fiscal 2004. More information can be obtained by visiting www.usa.siemens.com/medical-pressroom.
