Cochlear Limited introduced its next generation Cochlear? Osia® System with the ability to have an MRI at 3.0 T, designed to improve hearing outcomes for people with conductive hearing loss, mixed hearing loss and single-sided sensorineural deafness (SSD). The new Osia System offers the proven benefits as the current version: excellent hearing outcomes, ease of use, discreetness and reliability.

With the introduction of the OSI300 Implant, it is the first and only active bone conduction system that allows patients to undergo MRI scans at both 1.5 T and 3.0 T without the need for surgery. This new patient benefit is made possible by combining the unique properties of the Osia System's Piezo Power? transducer, which does not contain magnetic material, and the next generation in implant magnet technology.

The OSI300 Implant is specifically designed to support access to MRI with no performance degradation after MRI exposure, as there is nothing to be demagnetized as in an electromagnetic transducer. Unlike an axial magnet, which is found in most bone conduction implants and is unsuitable for a patient undergoing an MRI examination at 3.0 T, the OSI300 uses a diametric magnet that sits within a casing and rotates to align with the magnetic field of the MRI machine. The next generation of the Osia System will be available in clinics across the United States this fall and is currently being reviewed by Health Canada.

Availability in other countries is subject to regulatory approvals.