Recipient Programming Instructions
1. Testing the Implant
I am going to test the implant to make sure that all of the
electrodes are okay. This will take about two or three
minutes. Most likely, you won’t hear anything during this
test. Should you hear or feel anything, please let me know.
2. Neural Response Telemetry (AutoNRT®/NRT®)
We are going to do some additional testing on your
cochlear implant. This test does not require you to respond
in any way. You will most likely hear a continuous sound
during the test. The loudness of this sound will increase and
decrease and may be loud, or louder than you would like to
hear for a long time. We only need these levels of loudness
for the testing. They won’t necessarily be used for your final
MAPping to take home. You may stop me at any time if it
becomes very uncomfortable.
3. Threshold Levels (T-level)
I am going to play a series of beeps for you. It may take a
long time for you to hear or feel them, and that is perfectly
normal. I want you to tell me as soon as you hear or feel
the beeps, no matter how soft they are. Setting the T-levels
appropriately will allow you to hear the softest sounds of
speech and soft environmental sounds.
4. Counting
To help you set the T-levels so that the sound on each
electrode is set similarly, I am going to present a series of
beeps. They will be very soft and I do not expect you to be
able to hear all of them. You may hear anywhere from 2 to
6 beeps. Count them and tell me how many you hear. It is
expected that sometimes you will get the number of beeps
right and sometimes you will be wrong.
5. Live Voice Comfort Levels (C-level)
We are going to set the correct loudness level for your
program. I am going to turn on the sound processor, which
will allow you to hear voices and environmental sounds
using your cochlear implant. It may be very quiet or sound
strange at first. I will begin speaking and gradually increase
the loudness until you tell me that it is comfortable for you.
Try not to pay attention to sound quality issues and only
focus on volume/comfort at this time.
Now we are going to repeat this task at a slightly higher
volume level on the sound processor. We want to confirm
that sounds at this level are loud but not uncomfortable.
This will enable you to increase the volume when in
quieter environments or when using some of the
SmartSound® options.
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5a. Individual Comfort Levels (C-levels)
I am going to play a series of beeps for you. They are going
to gradually get louder. As the beeps increase, follow your
finger along the loudness chart. To set C-level, stop me
when the beeps are loud, but comfortable. C-level should
always be set at the loudest level you can tolerate for
long periods of time. Setting the C-levels appropriately
will prevent sounds in the environment from being
uncomfortably loud.
6. Sweeping
I want you to listen to a series of sounds of differing pitches.
You will listen to them at different loudness levels (soft,
medium, loud). It should sound like someone playing scales
on a piano keyboard. The series of beeps will be presented
in small groups. This is called sweeping. Listen for any tones
that stand out as louder or as softer than the other tones
and tell me the number of the electrode that is too soft or
too loud. Try to ignore the pitch changes and focus on the
volume (loudness) of the beeps.
7. Writing MAPs to Processor
The software is writing the MAPs to your processor right
now. It is important that you leave the transmitter coil/
magnet in place while this process is completed. You may
hear some sounds during this process as the system makes
some final measurements before completing the task.
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8. Going Live O
I am going to turn on the sound processor now. This will
allow you to hear voices and environmental sound through
your sound processor using your cochlear implant. It may
be very quiet at first, and I will turn up the volume until it
is comfortable for you. Depending on the settings we have
used/changed, speech may not sound natural at first. People
may sound like cartoon characters and you may not be
able to tell the difference between people’s voices. Your
own voice may sound different from what you remember.
Hearing through the cochlear implant is something you
need to get used to – the longer you listen with your
cochlear implant, the more natural it will sound.