Healthcare Professionals

Alpha 2 MPO ePlus

Magnetic Bone-Anchored Hearing Device

  • Alpha 2-MPO ePlus Device

ABUTMENT-FREE BONE CONDUCTION

The Alpha 2 MPO ePlus™ magnetic bone conduction hearing system brings abutment-free bone conduction to your patients with the smallest magnetic implant on the market.  Now with a peak output of 121 dB1, the Alpha 2 MPO ePlus™ gives your patients uncompromised sound with four programs, eight channels, and up to 250 hours on standard zinc air or a full day's use on the rechargeable battery (up to 32 hours).2 The Alpha 2 MPO ePlus™ is MRI compatible up to 3 Tesla and has the smallest transcutaneous MRI shadow.3,4

No other implant system — abutment or magnetic — offers the low profile and stability of the Alpha 2 MPO ePlus™, along with:

  • Long-lasting battery life up to 1 year2
  • Rechargeable battery with a full day's use on one charge (up to 32 hours)2
  • Up to 3X louder in higher frequencies which may aid in speech recognition5,6
  • Up to 7dB more feedback free gain compared to other transcutaneous devices3
  • Attract magnetic spacers with variable strength for patient comfort and secure fit
  • Lowest processor profile that may be hidden under the hair

BONE-ANCHORED MAGNETIC IMPLANT

The Alpha 2 MPO ePlus™ implant lies completely under skin and has low risk of skin issues.7,8 After healing, the skin and hair look normal, with no titanium abutment protruding through the skin like other bone conduction systems. The implant consists of two magnets hermetically sealed in a titanium case. An Attract® magnetic spacer (connected to the external processor) is held in position by the magnetic implant. The processor transmits audio vibrations through the skin into the bone where sound is sensed by the cochlea.

MORE GAIN THAN EVER

Alpha 2-MPO Gain Graph

Alpha 2 MPO ePlus™ offers more sound amplification (gain) than any other magnetic transcutaneous system.9 The figure shows how the Alpha device output, measured in force (micronewtons), correlates to the input in decibels sound pressure level (SPL) for varying tones. For audiologists concerned with the acousto-mechanical gain, you can see that along the 60 dB SPL curve there’s an acousto-mechanical gain up to 45 dB at 1,600 KHz. Compared to other bone conduction hearing systems, this proves to be a powerful gain in hearing for your patients.

PRODUCT FEATURES

PROPRIETARY TET TECHNOLOGY

Transcutaneous Energy Transfer (TET™) technology enables maximum transfer from the Alpha 2 MPO ePlus™ sound processor, through the patient’s skin and magnetic bone implant, to the working cochlea. TET eliminates up to 20 dB of energy reflection on skin typically associated with percutaneous systems.10

MRI COMPATIBLLITY

The Alpha 2 MPO ePlus™ is FDA cleared for MRI conditional up to 3 Tesla.11,12 In non-clinical testing, when positioned parallel to the patient table, the Alpha (M) Magnetic Implant maintained over 95% of its original magnetic strength after 10 insertions into the static magnetic field of a 3-Tesla MR system and a 10-minute imaging sequence in a 3 Tesla Siemens Tri Clinical MRI Scanner (MRC20587). The Alpha 2 MPO ePlus™ produces a 5 cm shadow,13 the smallest transcutaneous MRI shadow, and does not require implant removal. You can safely use an MRI only under the following conditions:

  • All external components (including the Otomag™ Alpha Sound Processor, Magnetic Spacer, Headband or Softband) removed before entering the MRI environment
  • Static magnetic field of 3 Tesla or less
  • Spatial gradient field of 720 Gauss/cm or less
  • Maximum whole-body averaged specific absorption rate (SAR) of 4 W/kg in the First Level Controlled Mode for a maximum scan time of 15 minutes of continuous scanning (per pulse sequence)

PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS

Download product specifications guide for complete list of product features and details.

DOWNLOAD PRODUCT SPECS
1

Internal Design Characterization Report.

2

ZPower technical data on file.

3

Internal Test Report: Evaluation of Magnetic Field Interactions, Heating and Artifacts for the Alpha 1 (M) Magnetic Implant. Frank G. Shellock. August 10, 2012.

4

Azadarmaki R, Tubbs R, Chen DA, Shellock FG. MRI information of commonly used otologic implants: Review and update. Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery 2014, Vol. 150(4) 512–519.

5

Amos NE, Humes LE. Contribution of high frequencies to speech recognition in quiet and noise in listeners with varying degrees of high frequency sensorineural hearing loss Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research (2007) 50, 819-834.

6

Internal data on file.

7

Siegert R. Semi-implantable transcutaneous bone conduction hearing device with fitting on the day of surgery. Presented at the 29th Politzer Society Meeting Antalya, Turkey, Nov 2013.

8

Centric A and Chennupati, SK, Abutment-free bone-anchored hearing devices in children: Initial results and experience - International Journal of Pediatric Otolaryngology 2014.

9

Comparing published transcutaneous devlce specifications of acousto-mechanlcaJ gain at 1.6 KHz and 60 dB SPL.

10

Zarowski, Verstraeten, Somers, Riff and Officers in Kompis and Caversaccio (Editors) Implantable Bone Conduction Hearing Aids, Karger, 2011.

11

Internal Test Report: Evaluation of Magnetic Field Interactions, Heating and Artifacts for the Alpha 1 (M) Magnetic Implant. Frank G. Shellock. August 10, 2012.

12

Azadarmaki R, Tubbs R, Chen DA, Shellock FG. MRI information of commonly used otologic implants: Review and update. Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery 2014, Vol. 150(4) 512–519.

13

Comparing published transcutaneous specifications of image artifacts.