Patent ID: 7571012

Claim:
A cochlear implant electrode assembly device comprising: a resiliently flexible elongate member having disposed therein a sealable reservoir configured to receive a bio-active substance; a plurality of electrodes mounted on said elongate member configured to provide stimulation to a cochlea; and a substance egress fluidically coupling said reservoir to the exterior of said elongate member, wherein said substance egress is configured to release said bio-active substance from said reservoir following implantation of said device, wherein said substance egress comprises an opening in said reservoir sealed with a layer of bioresorable material configured to dissolve following implantation of said device, a stiffening member configured to bias said elongate member into a first configuration, and wherein said elongate member adopts a second configuration upon deactivation or removal of said stiffening member, wherein said stiffening member comprises a stiffening element extending through a lumen in said elongate member, said stiffening element made of a material relatively stiffer than said resiliently flexible material of said elongate member, and formed of a bioresorbable material which softens or dissolves on exposure to a cochlear fluid.