Patent ID: 7650194
Filing Date: 2010-01-19
Classification: A61N

Abstract:
1. For implantation into a an interior chamber of a mammalian cochlea having a wall defining the interior chamber, an intra-cochlear implant for aiding in the hearing of a patient, the implant comprising a body portion implantable within an interior chamber of a cochlea of a patient, the body portion having a proximal end, and a distal end, and a primary axis, a plurality of signal carrying electrodes extending along the body portion for carrying a plurality of different signals, the electrodes having proximal ends and distal ends, the proximal ends being capable of receiving a plurality of different signals from a signal generator, and the distal ends being capable of delivering the received plurality of different signals to a plurality of anatomical receptors within a cochlea, wherein at least several of the plurality of electrodes have a nano-electrode sized portion and wherein the distal ends of the plurality of electrodes are configured not to become connected to the wall defining the interior chamber.