Abstract: A totally implanted hearing device is located within a dry cavity formed in the mastoid area of the human skull to house and mount the device and associated electronic hardware allowing the bypass of the middle ear's oscicullar chain. The device uses spring prosthesis coupled to sense the vibrations of the tympanic membrane and transmit same to the electronic hardware which senses, amplifies, and which transmits the amplified signal to a transducer which is connected to a piston which vibrates the parilymph fluid of the inner ear to achieve enhanced hearing free of feedback and distortion.

Abstract: A compact and highly flexible spring wire prosthestic device is provided for ossicular reconstruction. This prosthesis provides a solution not only to probelms associated with lateral retraction of the Tympanic graft and slippage of the prosthesis but to some other ossiculoplasty problems as well. The device has an oval shaped spring member locatable between the tympanic membrane and the footplate of the stapes with the major axis or diameter substantially parallel to the tympanic membrane making the device easily mountable. Obliquely extending from the oval spring member is an arm terminating in an ampersand shaped member for connecting the device to the tympanic membrane when the handle of the malleus is still present. Where there is no malleus handle, the prosthesis is provided with a freely mobile biocompatible disc equally distributing the tension pressure to the undersurface of the tympanic membrane. The spring also acts as a shock absorber.

Abstract: A stainless steel wire prosthesis C and P is provided for reconstruction of sound conducting mechanism in the middle ear. The prosthesis C and P is able to compensate for outward retraction and shift of the tympanic membrane occurring during the healing process and which is able to supress loud noise from damaging the inner ear. To accomplish this the prosthesis C and P has a spring coil (10) located between a pair of arms (14) and (16) at angular separation oriented to be aligned with the tympanic membrane and the oval window or stapes respectively. Because of this the spring coil has a non-linear spring constant and thus maintains a substantially constant tension pressure through the stapes footplate of the inner ear even with orientation changes between the tympanic membrane and the footplate. The spring coil (10) also acts as a shock absorber for any external trauma on the tympanic membrane.