By Jennifer Groth, M.A.
2) What care and handling do you recommend to practitioners and patients in order to ensure the durability of the nanocoating?
No special care or handling is required for nanocoated hearing instruments compared to untreated hearing instruments. Patients should follow the usual instructions in the user guides. The application of nanocoating can be expected to reduce the incidence of breakdowns due to moisture-related or debris-related damage. As with all hearing instruments, it is not recommended to use solvents such as alcohol or acetone to clean them. This can cause the exposed surfaces to deteriorate whether they are nanocoated or not. It is also important to note that, despite what advertising campaigns might imply, nanocoated hearing instruments are not water tight or completely impervious to water. Patients can expect robust performance of their nanocoated hearing instruments after a sweaty evening on the dance floor or getting caught in the rain, but they shouldn’t run them through the washing machine or wear them scuba diving!