Evaluation of Voice Guard Sound Processing
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Voice Guard Processing Evaluation in a Cohort of Subjects Implanted with the Neuro Cochlear Implant System
IRAS ID
225114
Contact name
James Tysome
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Oticon Medical
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Evaluation of the Voice Guard Sound Processing Strategy
A cochlear implantation (CI) system is aimed at restoring hearing in individuals with severe to profound hearing loss. To achieve meaningful hearing and speech understanding through a CI system, sound processing is designed to convert the sound picked up by the CI microphone into meaningful information that a CI user can understand and comprehend. CI sound processing strategies, however have traditionally been aimed at improving speech understanding through CI at moderate regular conversational levels. This at times may lead to difficulty understanding speech at soft and loud levels.
In the present study, we are evaluating a novel sound processing strategy, named the Voice Guard, against a more traditional sound processing strategy, named the XDP. The Voice Guard sound processing strategy is designed to adapt to changes in levels of listening environment between soft medium and loud and thereby maintain high levels of speech perception scores even at soft and loud levels. In contrast, the XDP sound coding strategy, set at medium setting, does not adapt to changes in levels of listening environment and is not expected maintain high levels of speech perception scores at soft and loud levels similar to that of Voice Guard. In addition, the efficacy of a CI noise reduction system, called the Voice Track, aimed at reducing the adverse effects of back ground noise on CI speech perception would also be evaluated.
We aim to recruit participants who qualify for a CI system under the current NICE criteria and study the efficacy of the Voice Guard and Voice Track system within the NHS CI clinic where they are referred. The study would last for 12 months after the participants' CI system have been switched on..
REC name
East of England - Cambridge Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/EE/0473
Date of REC Opinion
17 Apr 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion