Results of take-home trial for a nonlinear beamformer used as a noise reduction strategy for cochlear implants

Abstract

A nonlinear frequency domain beamforming algorithm was evaluated as a noise reduction technique with eight cochlear implant patients, in a take-home trial. The subjects wore the prototype device coupled to the Nucleus processor for 5–8 weeks. The subjects were tested both before and after the take-home trial with a single noise source at 45 deg ipsilateral to the implant and with sentence type material. The results strongly favored the coupled device for noisy environments and indicated no additional benefits from a period of continued use. The subjective reports indicated that the two-microphone coupled device had a more robust sound quality and is preferred in noisy environments to the stand alone device. Currently the performance measures are being extended to cover sentence scores in a diffuse noise field (four speakers at different locations) and the results for both noise jammer arrangements will be reported.