One of the current challenges in hearing aid technology is improving speech intelligibility in noisy environments. Atom hearing aids from the Russian company Aurica use advanced object-channel sound signal recognition technology, which is designed to improve speech intelligibility in noisy environments by improving microphone directionality and separating speech and noise signals.
Aurica hearing aids have been tested in the hearing and speech laboratory at the First Pavlov State Medical University of St. Petersburg, a federal state educational institution of higher education under the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. Authors of the study: Boboshko M.Yu., Berdnikova I.P., Maltseva N.V., Kornienko I.I.
The purpose of the testing was to evaluate the effectiveness of binaural use of the new model of synchronised Atom hearing aids in various acoustic situations.
Patients and methods. Testing of the binaural capabilities of the new hearing aid model was conducted on six experienced users of behind-the-ear digital hearing aids aged 65 to 75 with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss of II–III degree without pronounced asymmetry of hearing thresholds. After a basic audiological examination, testing of the central auditory system, and assessment of cognitive functions using the MoSA scale, two synchronised hearing aids were individually adjusted and the intelligibility of monosyllabic words in silence and against background noise in a free sound field was evaluated with one and two hearing aids. The patient was then given two hearing aids for continuous use for one month. Speech audiometry and questioning were repeated twice (2 and 4–5 weeks after the hearing aids were issued).
Results. Five of the six patients showed improvement in speech intelligibility in quiet and in noise with two hearing aids after using them for a month, with three demonstrating high speech intelligibility in noise (75–95%). Two patients had fairly good speech intelligibility in quiet but initially poor speech intelligibility in noise; of these, one patient with a low score on the dichotic test had a deterioration in speech intelligibility in noise from 40% in one HA to 5% in two HAs. The subjective assessment of the HA ranged from 3 to 5 points. In 50% of patients, the MoSA scores were less than 26 points (21–23 points), which indicated cognitive impairment. The best intelligibility scores were demonstrated by patients who used the HA for at least 5 hours a day.
Conclusions. Taking into account the results of speech audiometry during the use of the new HA model, an adaptation effect to HA was noted within 1 month, with an improvement in speech intelligibility in 83% of patients. Further research is needed to study the impact of auditory processing disorders and cognitive status of patients on the effectiveness of binaural use of modern hearing aids.
The presentation by M. Yu. Boboshko at the 10th National Congress of Audiologists, 14th International Symposium ‘Modern Problems of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing’ (Suzdal, 11–14 September 2023) can be viewed in the slides below.