ing pulses are applied.
One of the problems encountered when using a cochlear implant device, or many other type of neurostimulator devices, is “fitting” the device to a particular patient. Fitting involves setting the stimulation parameters, e.g., the amplitude, pulse width and frequency of the stimulation pulses to a level that is efficacious and comfortable for that patient. In the past, such “fitting” has been a very subjective process, requiring constant feedback from the patient. Some patients, however, e.g., old patients and extremely young patients, are not able to provide meaningful subjective feedback. Hence, clinicians are constantly looking for improved ways to obtain objective feedback from the patient that can assist in setting the stimulation parameters.
One type of objective feedback that has been used in the past is to monitor the stapedius reflex. The implantable cochlear stimulators described in the '861 and '585 patents teach the use of the stapedius reflex (also referred to as the stapedial reflex) as a parameter for monitoring and adjusting the magnitude of the stimuli applied through the electrode array. Applicant's co-pending patent application Ser. No. 60/412,533, filed Sep. 20, 2002, incorporated herein by reference, teaches an improved way for using multi-band stimuli to obtain the Stapedial Reflex.
The new generation of cochlear implants that have the enhanced processing power, and which can provide multiple platforms for delivering electrical stimuli to the auditory nerve, including high frequency pulsitile stimulation having current pulses of controlled amplitude, width and frequency, have sometimes been referred to as a “bionic ear” implant.
As the art of cochlear stimulation has advanced to produce bionic ear implants, the implanted portion of the cochlear stimulation system, and the externally wearable processor (or speech processor) have become increasingly complicated and sophisticated. It is also noted that much of the circuitry previously employed in the externally