(Vienna, 29 September 2026) As part of a clinical trial, five of the new cochlear implants have already been successfully fitted at the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at University Hospital Vienna (AKH) and MedUni Vienna. Following approval for clinical use, the next step was taken on 29 September 2026: for the first time, the innovative implant was fitted to two patients in Vienna and St. Pölten outside the context of a trial.
Cochlear implants enable people with severe hearing loss to hear again. Until now, external components have been part of daily life for those affected: an audio processor is worn behind the ear and must be removed during certain activities, such as sleeping or swimming. With the world’s first fully implantable cochlear implant, all components – including the microphone – are located under the skin. At the University Clinic for Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases at University Hospital Vienna (AKH) and MedUni Vienna, the new TICI UNICO technology has already undergone intensive clinical trials in collaboration with an Austrian manufacturer. As the only clinic in Austria, five of the new implants have already been fitted as part of a clinical trial. The experience gained from this forms an important basis for the treatment now beginning outside the scope of the trial.
“For our patients, this technology means, above all, greater freedom in everyday life. They no longer have to wear, remove or even think about an external device. The implant is not visible from the outside and enables round-the-clock hearing, tailored to the individual’s hearing situation. This makes a significant difference, particularly in everyday situations such as sleeping, exercising or swimming,” says Christoph Arnoldner, Head of the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at University Hospital Vienna (AKH) and MedUni Vienna.
Hearing without having to think about the implant
With a conventional cochlear implant, sound is picked up and processed by an external audio processor. This transmits the signals to the implant located under the skin and on to the electrode in the cochlea. With TICI UNICO technology, the microphone is also implanted. It picks up sound through the skin. The acoustic signals are then converted into electrical signals and transmitted to the electrode in the cochlea. There, the auditory nerve is stimulated and the information is perceived as sound by the brain.
For patients, this opens up a new form of independence: there is no external audio processor that needs to be put on in the morning and taken off in the evening. Hearing care no longer requires constant, conscious attention. The new technology is intended for people with severe to profound inner-ear hearing loss who are generally suitable for cochlear implantation. Hearing performance is comparable to that of conventional cochlear implant systems. Whether the TICI UNICO implant is suitable for a patient is decided on an individual basis following a comprehensive assessment.
A further step in the development of cochlear implant care
At the University Clinic for Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases at MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna, new technologies in hearing implantology are continuously being clinically tested and further developed. As early as 2021, for example, one of the world’s first operations using new robotic technology for cochlear implantation was carried out. The next step follows with the first five TICI UNICO implantations as part of a clinical trial and the treatment now beginning outside the scope of a trial.
“29 September is a special day for us because a technology that we have been monitoring as part of a trial is now moving into regular clinical use. The focus here is not on the technology itself, but on what it enables our patients to do: to be able to hear without a visible device having to be part of their everyday lives,” notes Clinic Director Christoph Arnoldner.