Assoc. Dr. Petar Ruev is a specialist in ENT diseases. In 1993, he graduated in medicine at the Thrace University - Stara Zagora. In his work, he pays great attention to hearing-improving operations, voice problems and snoring. Other directions in Dr. Ruev's activity are plastic surgery of the nose and ears.
Hearing loss creates difficulties for many people in important moments of their daily life. Aids that work on the principle of air sound conduction provide a satisfactory solution for many of them, but are not always suitable for all cases of hearing loss. For many people, using direct bone conduction is a new alternative. The system is the latest development of a leading Austrian company and is a fully implantable active bone vibrator. A joint international operative team consisting of Prof. Dr. Petar Ruev, head of the ENT department, and Prof. Asen Koichev, head of the pediatric ENT department at "Olga Hospital" in Stuttgart, installed the "BoneBrigde" system for the first time in our country on a woman of 40 years. The system is a donation from the manufacturer.
Assoc. Ruev, what was the main topic of the otosurgery training course held recently at your hospital?
- Implantable hearing systems is the third international training course in otosurgery, in which 30 more specialists participated via conference call, observing and discussing operations simultaneously. The main topic of the course was fully implantable hearing systems by the so-called bone pathway. bone bridge system.
What are bone conduction implantable hearing systems?
- They are of several types and have been developed for different hearing problems. Enable patients to hear with preserved bone conduction.
How long ago were these systems developed? Usually in our country the news arrives with a long delay?
- Implantable systems are another innovation in otosurgery. They were developed 2-3 years ago. In our country, for the moment, such operations are performed only in our hospital, which has a team specially qualified for this type of surgical intervention.
For which patients are implantable hearing systems suitable? Are they paid by the He alth Insurance Fund?
- They are recommended for problems with the middle ear, for repeated reoperations, as a result of which there is no possibility of reconstructing the auditory chain, as well as for patients with large radical cavities after surgical treatment. In this type of patient, a conventional hearing aid does not provide sufficient hearing comfort because the existing postoperative cavities lead to resonance and other acoustic problems. The indications for implanting auditory systems are: repeated reoperations and the absence of an external auditory canal. Ie
apply to children over 6 years old
with malformations of the ear or with unilateral hearing loss. For each of the problems there is a different type of acoustic setting - for maximum hearing comfort. Unlike hearing aids, in implantable hearing systems all components are completely implanted with intact skin, i.e. they are not visible from the outside. Implantable hearing systems are placed on patients for a limited number of indications. Unfortunately, the implant is not yet paid for by the He alth Insurance Fund.
Are hearing aids becoming a necessity today?
- Indeed, hearing aids are becoming a necessity for the modern man. This is indicated by the latest scientific developments in the field of hearing aids. There are already contracts between companies that manufacture mobile phones and companies that manufacture hearing aids. The work of scientists is aimed at developing a device that will allow the automatic transfer of the conversation to the ear, without the involvement of hands. The improved version of the hands-free will also have an independent function - the ability to neutralize the noise environment and perceive the high-frequency range of sound waves.
Thus hearing prostheses will very soon become a daily necessity for people with hearing problems. Their rapid improvement is explained
with the development of technology
and the changed business conditions which lead to a continuous increase in the demands of the working man. In addition to the new miniature prostheses, overcoming any lack of hearing, devices for normally hearing patients can now be found on the market. They are in two parts - one inserted into the ear and the second behind the ear, small enough to hide. The second reason that determines the future of new devices is the extreme need for accurate auditory perception in modern business conditions. Something that huge conference rooms with disturbed acoustic environment do not allow. Such business comfort is offered only by the new generation of hearing aids. They are already widespread in Europe and according to statistics, people who use them enjoy better he alth, are more active and realize higher incomes. A fact that unequivocally indicates that hearing problems deserve serious public attention. The European initiative "Hear the World" undertaken by one of the major manufacturers with the participation of world greats such as Plácido Domingo and the Vienna Philharmonic is no accident. This is the right way for people, and not only in Europe, to hear about the possibilities to protect and maintain their hearing.
