Medical News Today -- A new hybrid hearing aid/cochlear implant device designed for patients who can benefit from both is being evaluated by UT Southwestern Medical Center otolaryngologists, as part of a multisite, national study. The cross-breed device, called the DUET Electric-Acoustic System, or EAS, is already used in Europe, but not yet approved for use in the U.S. It targets a population currently falling through the cracks - borderline cases for which hearing aids don’t adequately distinguish sounds, but for who some natural hearing remains. For these individuals, cochlear implants that entirely replace natural hearing aren’t recommended either.
