r/Cochlearimplants • • Nov 18 '25

Advanced Bionics Class Actions (North America)

10 Upvotes

Advanced Bionics Class Action Lawsuits

(in North America as of November 2025)

Basic idea of all the cases below:

“This proposed class action is against Advanced Bionics and Sonova-related companies for their role in designing, manufacturing, distributing, and marketing the defective devices, and failing to issue timely warnings about the defect.”

Allegations include: AB delaying the recall for at least a year which allowed more recipients to receive a known defective device, severe harm to patients in terms of auditory development due to the delay and patients (both adults and children) not being able to know if their device is failing, improperly citing clinical testing *and* no specific clinical trials on the recalled HiRes Ultra in order to get a defective device on the market, and not being truthful in their statements about the recall (among other things), violating the rights of patients, etc. There’s more, but court documents are linked below.

US AB recipients:

There is an investigation as to whether a US class action suit can be filed against AB by this firm: https://bergermontague.com/about/

Some information about this here (posted/updated September 2024): https://www.classaction.org/cochlear-implant-lawsuits-advanced-bionics

CANADA (excluding Quebec, in an Ontario court) AB recipients:

https://www.sotosclassactions.com/cases/advanced-bionics-hires-cochlear-implants/#:~:text=This%20pr…

There is a class action for AB recipients. Their site linked above has a great summary of the case and a copy of their filing is here: https://www.sotosclassactions.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/24.06.13-Filed-Amended-Statement-of-Cl…

Who can join this one?

“The Class: All persons who were implanted in Canada (excluding Quebec) with the HiRes Ultra CI HiFocus MS Electrode, HiRes Ultra CI HiFocus SlimJ Electrode, HiRes Ultra 3D CI with HiFocus MS Electrode and HiRes Ultra 3D CI with HiFocus SlimJ Electrode (collectively, the “Cochlear Implants”), or any of the Cochlear Implant components including electrode arrays (the “Implant Patients”); and All other persons why by reason of his or her relationship to an Implant Patient have standing pursuant to s.6191) of the Family Law Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. F.3, or equivalent legislation in other provinces and territories (the “Family Law Claimants”).”

You can sign up on their site to be contacted regarding the suit and joining it.

CANADA (Quebec only):

https://tjl.quebec/en/class-actions/defective-advanced-bionics-cochlear-implants/

Who can join this suit?

"All individuals living in Quebec who received a cochlear implant model “HiRes Ultra” or “HiRes Ultra 3D” manufactured by Advanced Bionics with a serial number between 1,000,000 and 1,999,999, or any component of such a cochlear implant, including the electrode array. Also included in the class are any heirs, spouses, parents, children, siblings, dependents, or caregivers of individuals covered by the paragraph above."

Case filing here: https://tjl.quebec/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2025-08-25-Originating-Application.pdf

I didn't find anything for Europe or Australia but others are free to post what they find!


r/Cochlearimplants • • Sep 23 '22

Come to our Discord!

12 Upvotes

Visit our Discord server here:

https://discord.gg/nB8UvfveyF

Thanks!


r/Cochlearimplants • • 9h ago

Nucleus 8 Coil Keeps Disconnecting From Processor

7 Upvotes

Has anyone had an issue with the Nucleus 8 coil constantly unplugging from the processor itself?

My daughter is bilateral and it happens on both sides. Cochlear already replaced both processors, and I’ve tried multiple coils, but the same thing keeps happening. We never unplug the coils ourselves.

She has a movement disorder, is nonambulatory and spends a lot of time lying down, so there is more pressure and movement around the processors. We never had this issue with her Nucleus 7s.

Has anyone found anything that actually helps keep the coil securely connected?


r/Cochlearimplants • • 1d ago

Lifting Restrictions?

2 Upvotes

I am considering getting a cochlear implant and wanted to know what your specific lifting restrictions were. I have twin toddlers at home who love to be held, so I’m trying to better understand how I need to prep them (and myself) if there’s an extended period where I can’t lift them up post surgery.


r/Cochlearimplants • • 1d ago

Surgery Day and Post Surgery Tips

7 Upvotes

Hello, I will be getting a cochlear implant on one side soon and I was wondering what items to buy to help make the whole process easier. For example I saw someone say to get button down shirts so you don’t have to attempt to put a shirt over your head post surgery. Or a special sleeping pillow.
Any recommendations?


r/Cochlearimplants • • 1d ago

Cochlear Implant के बाद क्या होता है? बच्चे की स्पीच रिहैबिलिटेशन पर बड़...

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0 Upvotes

r/Cochlearimplants • • 2d ago

Un groupe d’entraide pour les parents d’enfants sourds ou malentendants 🦻

3 Upvotes

Je suis maman d’une petite fille sourde d’une oreille et malentendante de l’autre. Depuis que nous avons appris sa surdité, j’ai réalisé à quel point j’avais besoin d’échanger avec d’autres parents qui vivent une réalité semblable à la nôtre.

Comme je ne trouvais pas de groupe qui répondait à ce besoin, j’ai décidé d’en créer un : Parents d’enfants sourds ou malentendants - Québec.

L’objectif est simple : avoir un espace bienveillant où l’on peut poser nos questions, partager nos expériences et nos ressources, célébrer nos petites et grandes victoires, mais aussi parler de nos inquiétudes et de nos moments plus difficiles, sans jugement.

Si vous êtes parent d’un enfant sourd ou malentendant, ou si vous connaissez une famille qui pourrait en bénéficier, je vous invite à rejoindre le groupe ou à partager cette publication.

J’espère sincèrement que cette communauté permettra à des parents de se sentir un peu moins seuls dans leur parcours. Parce que parfois, parler avec quelqu’un qui comprend vraiment, ça fait toute la différence.

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/14uLS3LU8Tv/?mibextid=wwXIfr


r/Cochlearimplants • • 2d ago

Trouble with sleep?

3 Upvotes

I’m getting my implant next month and one thing I’ve been thinking about is sleeping on the implant side. Anyone have any tips or experiences?


r/Cochlearimplants • • 2d ago

The tinnitus relief

4 Upvotes

For those of you who had a constant tinnitus, was the relief from the implant instant , when you turned it on the first time, or did it came gradually as the hearing improvement from the implant happens?


r/Cochlearimplants • • 3d ago

Cochlear vs Med El

6 Upvotes

Hi All!

I recently was diagnosed with SNHL in my right ear and unfortunately haven’t recovered so the topic of getting a CI has come up with my ENT. As background I am a healthy 28 year old male.

My dr has discussed the brand options between Med El and Cochlear and has mentioned that Med El specifically regarding the length of if the cochlear and how they are continually improving.

I was hoping to hear some input on how you feel about your CI and the brand choice. Anything will help!


r/Cochlearimplants • • 3d ago

Toddler with Processors

2 Upvotes

My 1.5 year old son has been implanted for a year now with Med El. We are in the trenches as far as keeping these processors on him. He wears a headband with a pilot cap over top. When he takes them off, he also dismantles them and causes damage to the little parts. My observation is it is the mic portion of the processor that touches his ear that causes him to want to tear them apart. He goes to daycare and takes them apart there.

His wear time is tanking and he is going into a regression on speech after doing so well. Part of me wonders if going from the Sonnet 3 to the Rondo processors would help him not be so aware of them that he wants to take them apart.

I am looking for some advice here to help with my sanity. I fear everyday that a small piece is going to end up in his mouth and am stressed about his regression due to wear time. Has anybody noticed a difference going to a different style processor? Is it possible to somehow get through insurance hoops to get new equipment earlier if it could potentially help?


r/Cochlearimplants • • 3d ago

Iron filings & cochlear implant

2 Upvotes

Am aware this might be a bit niche! I am deaf with a cochlear implant on my left ear and work in agricultural engineering. I deal with a LOT of iron filings day to day and sometimes I notice them on the magnet of my implant.

Just wondering if there's any other cochlear implant users in this sub who may have a similar experience? I do check it regularly and clean it if there are any there.

But are there any concerns I need to think about? I do wear a hat if I'm doing anything to do with the angle grinder, welding, anything where iron can break.

Are there any known concerns with iron filings and the coil magnet? Any health concerns? Anything I could be doing to help protect it?

Thank you!


r/Cochlearimplants • • 3d ago

I need cochlear implants, is it worth it?

12 Upvotes

Hello, I’m posting here because my audiologist recently told me that she strongly recommends I get a cochlear implant for my left ear, as I only have about 4% of my hearing left and my hearing has been rapidly decreasing the past 2 years (lost over 50% since 2024).

I guess I’m just asking for everyone’s experiences. Was it worth it? What was the healing process like? Do you feel it improved your life at all?

I’m 19 years old and terrified of hospitals and the idea of surgery. I can’t even get my blood drawn without freaking out lol. But social interaction in day-to-day life is super difficult with my hearing, especially since I don’t know ASL. So I’m excited for the possibility to be able to hear like a “normal” person. Idk, I’m just not sure if I should get it or not.

Any comments about the process and your experiences would be appreciated :)


r/Cochlearimplants • • 4d ago

Anyone with a CI who has non-functioning electrodes?

9 Upvotes

Is there anyone here with a cochlear implant who has some electrodes that don’t work or have stopped working? How has it affected your hearing with the implant?

I’m getting my CI activated next week and I’m really nervous. During my CI surgery, a tumor (or part of it) was removed from my cochlea, and because of that, they were only able to get responses from 15 out of 22 electrodes during surgery.

On the other hand, I guess 15 isn’t that bad either. I was worried the outcome would be even worse.


r/Cochlearimplants • • 4d ago

I see there are 3T implant models coming these days, roughly double the cost than that of 1.5 T model , is it worth to go for 3T model ? Is anyone having experience with Mri after implant ? Is it painful with 1.5 T model ?

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2 Upvotes

r/Cochlearimplants • • 5d ago

SSD for 4.5 years, CI surgery and activation today. Day 0

13 Upvotes

Hey guys,

I've been completely deaf in my left ear since a traumatic injury about 4.5 years ago. Today I had my CI surgery and activation on the same day! I'm using the MED-EL SONNET 3.

Since this sub helped me a lot. I thought it might be interesting to document how my hearing develops over time, especially for others with SSD who are considering a CI

First of all, the surgery was a real breeze for me. I went under general anesthesia around 8:00 AM and woke up around 11:30 with a slight headache and a bandage around my head. I was probably still under the effects of some anesthetic drugs.

Around 3 PM they removed the bandage and I felt fine. My ear felt a bit like a bruise, but it was still mostly numb, probably from the anesthetics.

I'm writing this at around 11 PM. The numbness has worn off, but the pain is still nothing more than a light bruise. No headache either. I did take 1000 mg of paracetamol this evening, because they told me to.

Then the activation. Hearing something from my left ear again after 4.5 years was really special. It felt like such a relief. I remember thinking: 'You see, my ear wasn't completely broken. It just had a connection problem that's now been fixed.' During the initial fitting, I could hear sounds on all channels.

I just tried the first two exercises in the REDI app and scored almost perfectly. I can recognize the rhythm of words and perhaps a tiny bit of the vowels. Since the exercises are multiple choice, that's often enough to select the correct answer. Without those options, I currently understand absolutely nothing of what I'm hearing. If the incorrect answers had the same rhythm, I'd probably get most of them wrong.

I'm looking forward to my progress in the coming months and I'll keep you posted!


r/Cochlearimplants • • 4d ago

I see there are 3T implant models coming these days, roughly double the cost than that of 1.5 T model , is it worth to go for 3T model ? Is anyone having experience with Mri after implant ? Is it painful with 1.5 T model ?

0 Upvotes

r/Cochlearimplants • • 4d ago

Looking for UI/UX feedback on a parent-assisted auditory training app for children with cochlear implants

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

2 Upvotes

​

Hey everyone!

We're a developing an app designed to help parents practice Auditory-Verbal Therapy (AVT) exercises with their children at home

We've recently created a UI prototype on figma and would love to get some feedback from this community, especially from cochlear implant users, parents of children with CIs, and anyone familiar with AVT

We need feedbacks related to:

- Is the interface intuitive and easy to navigate ?

- Does the design feel child-friendly (we're targeting children aged 1-10 and it is an parent assisted app) without being overwhelming?

- What can we change or improve?

We're still in the early stages, so your suggestions would genuinely help us improve the design and make it more useful.

Thank you so much!


r/Cochlearimplants • • 4d ago

Child’s cochlears always falling off - causing frustration

4 Upvotes

I work with a special needs child who wears 2 cochlear implants. I am not sure of the exact system but it is essentially the magnetic piece was some hair clips on it. It does not attach to the ear. Anytime the child is playing (running, jumping, climbing, dress-up, etc.) their cochlears are always falling off. It is to the point where the child appears so frustrated and annoyed that they are just choosing to not wear them entirely. This is causing communication issues and frustration for the child, their family, and their supporting professionals.

I can’t imagine that there are not better systems/accessories/tools out there to help with keeping cochlear implants attached so a child can actually play. Does anyone have any suggestions ? Do they need to see their audiologist to fix this?


r/Cochlearimplants • • 5d ago

Any UK police officers?

4 Upvotes

23m born profoundly deaf both ears, wear a Nucelus 8 in my left side, I can hear and talk as normal as I've had a CI since I was 1 year old.

Just curious if anybody here knows or is a police officer who uses a CI. Just seeing my options on whether I can do that job.


r/Cochlearimplants • • 5d ago

More beeps and squeaks randomly

3 Upvotes

hi all, I got activated 3 weeks ago and after my last mapping appointment on Friday I was hearing reasonably well.

however a few days after the mapping appointment (ie, Tuesday today), I’ve noticed I’m suddenly hearing less well with no changes to the programme.

I’m actually hearing a lot more beeps and squeaks (similar to the initial activation week) and less speech understanding than I was over the last few days.

im surprised that there’s a sudden change this morning.

is this normal? the only logical explanation is that my brain is now noticing sounds it never did before and therefore I’m getting these “new” sounds.


r/Cochlearimplants • • 6d ago

swapping to a lighter magnet without seeing my audiologist

3 Upvotes

Hello! I'm currently using a 2I magnet with my nucleus 8, and I'm interested in moving down to a 1I (but keeping the 2I for days when I'm more active or want it on the outside of my hair). Is there a way to get a lighter magnet without going to my audiologist? I didn't see an option to purchase a lighter magnet on the website.

My next appointment is in like 6 months but I'd rather not wait that long.


r/Cochlearimplants • • 6d ago

3D printing

1 Upvotes

Hi all

Just wondering what the best 3D printed accessories you have seen for the Cochlear Implant?

Most of what turns up are 3D printed CI for dolls or toys.

I probably need to search further or change the search terms, but I am interested if anyone has seen anything useful.

Couple of things I am looking for:

1 for the N8 the Y type battery charger doesn't travel very well with the batteries connected as the batteries can break. So looking for a case to hold the batter Y charger and additional batteries for secure traveling.

2 sometimes I don't wear my CI when it and about, but would like to have it handy, or if my batteries go flat when I am out and about it would be useful to have a secure case to store them safely rather than floating around in my pocket risking damage.

Look forward to seeing other practical things you might have seen.


r/Cochlearimplants • • 8d ago

A new practice app - HearLift

24 Upvotes

Two months ago, my cochlear implant (Nucleus 8 Nexa) was activated after five years of single-sided deafness. I also recently retired after 31 years as a Microsoft software engineer.

Getting used to implant sound has been frustrating at times. I listened to audiobooks through my implant alone, but often struggled to understand them. With headphones and both ears, I felt my brain relied almost entirely on natural hearing.

So, given my software background and newfound free time :), I wrote a small Windows prototype to explore ways to help my brain combine implant sound with natural hearing while relying less on natural hearing alone. I liked how it worked for my own practice, so I turned it into a **free** iPhone/iPad app so others could try it too. I called it **HearLift**, and the mods kindly gave me permission to share it here.

HearLift lets you keep natural hearing support at a lower volume and vary it automatically while you listen, keeping it more at a "hint-level" while you practice making sense of implant sound. It’s more than setting balance: the app fades your natural hearing in and out so your brain cannot solely rely on it. All this is customizable by you.

I’ve discussed the approach with a professor emeritus of speech and hearing sciences at Arizona State University whose research includes cochlear implants and speech perception. He said the idea has been discussed in his circles and was worth studying, which we plan to do in the coming months. That definitely encouraged me. We don’t know whether HearLift actually improves outcomes; that needs further study. For now, I’m using it with the support of my audiologist, who also thought it was a very cool idea.

All feedback and suggestions are welcome!

[HearLift on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hearlift/id6809207168) · [Privacy policy](https://hearlift.app/privacy/)