Profound loss of hearing, as excruciating as it can be, is fairly manageable, thanks to Cochlear Implants. These are a boon for children with severe to profound hearing loss, as they open the doors to effective communication, plus a world of possibilities for these innocent souls.
Cochlear Implants are..?
Cochlear Implants are medical devices that when implanted, allow people with severe to profound hearing loss, to perceive sound. The implants are a viable option in cases where hearing aids are of little to no help. Since the loss of hearing impacts language and speech development among many important cognitive skills, the sooner the diagnosis and treatment, the better for the child.
Implantation - a necessity?
The candidacy of a child for implantation depends on multiple factors, but if suspicion prevails, the following symptoms may aid in guiding the choice ahead.
- Delayed speech or hearing or lack of linguistic skills.
- Difficulty in communication.
- Dependency on visual cues for comprehension, such as lip movement, pictures, etc.
- Unresponsiveness to loud sounds or inability to retrace the source of the sound.
- Already using a hearing aid, but still facing issues.
The Implantation Surgery
As parents, the welfare of one’s child is at the forefront, always. However, the path to a child’s welfare can often be difficult and sometimes downright scary, full of ‘what ifs’ and ‘buts’. One such decision is that of whether the child should undergo surgery or not.
The good news is that it is not a grappling worry anymore, as cochlear implantation is a viable option not only for adults but for children as well. Cochlear Implantation surgeries are considered to be safe, with a very low rate and rare instances of complications.
Before surgery, a multitude of tests are conducted and scans are taken for a clearer understanding of the condition and to determine if the child is a suitable candidate for implantation. These include examination of the ear, MRI, CT scan, etc. Once the candidacy is confirmed, the surgery can be scheduled.
Prior to surgery, the child is administered general anesthesia. The surgery usually lasts between one to two hours for each ear, followed by a few hours of post-operative observation for the effects of the anesthesia to wade off. Depending on the child’s condition and the doctor’s discretion, the child may be discharged the same day or require a certain period of hospital stay, generally up to two days.
Post-Surgery Care
The child may experience discomfort or pain due to the pressure in the implanted area. There would be special instructions given on dressing the incision site and post-operative care measures to be taken for a smooth healing process. There might be a few restrictions on certain activities, nevertheless, these would be for a short term and might be resumed once the healing period is over.
Implant Activation
Implantation surgery is not the end of the process, there’s another step, activating the implant. A period of four to six weeks is allowed for the swelling to come down and the wound at the incision site to heal. Past the healing period, the implant is activated by fitting the external components of the implant, including the microphone and sound processor set up.
Now, the implant is fine-tuned by programming the sound processor to enable the child to hear with ease. This is essential, as the sound from a cochlear implant may not sound exactly the same as how people without any auditory troubles perceive it.
It is the time to let your child hear the world.
References:
1. Cochlear Implant Surgery in Children. Duke Health. Published 2019.
https://www.dukehealth.org/treatments/pediatric-otolaryngology/cochlear-implant-surgery-children
2. Vincenti V, Bacciu A, Guida M, et al. Pediatric cochlear implantation: an update. Italian Journal of Pediatrics. 2014;40(1). doi:10.1186/s13052-014-0072-8
3. Goller Y. Cochlear implantation in children: Implications for the primary care provider. Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. 2006;18(9):397-408. doi:10.1111/j.1745-7599.2006.00157.x
4. THE COCHLEAR IMPLANT GROUP OF INDIA. Cigi.in. Published 2021. https://cigi.in/frequentlyaskedquestions.php
Source url - https://www.debwan.com/blogs/140847/Cochlear-Implant-Surgery-in-Children-Neubio
Denoc Hearing Care Centre is one of the premier Hearing testing and Hearing Aid dispensing centers in Chennai.
The name Denoc is derived from DEcibel aNd OCtave, the intensity of sound and music respectively.
Denoc means to imply that Sound when heard by those who have less hearing, is Music to the ears.
Denoc has been in the hearing aid related business since 1995, first in distribution then in retail.In India it is very difficult to locate the top ten hearing aid clinic and centers because it is not the size of the clinic but it is the evaluation and counseling that matters.
One of those sole criteria for getting into top 10 hearing aid clinic is to deal with multiple hearing aid brands.Denoc hearing care centre provides you with best hearing aid brands in the world such as Phonak, Oticon, Unitron, Widex, Resound, Signia, Interton, A, Audio Service and many more.
Best hearing aid centers in India should be handling multiple brands because features in one brand have an edge over others and vice versa.
Denoc Hearing Care Centre is one of the premier Hearing testing and Hearing Aid dispensing centers in Chennai.
The name Denoc is derived from DEcibel aNd OCtave, the intensity of sound and music respectively.
Denoc means to imply that Sound when heard by those who have less hearing, is Music to the ears.
Most centers are managed by single or two people with one or two hearing aid brands and very few hearing aid models.
There are very few hearing aid centers with multiple brands and complete clinical setup.
Denoc Hearing Care Centre is on of the premier hearing care clinic with multi-discipline facilities available under a single shelter.Denoc takes esteem privilege in rising as the BEST HEARING AID CENTRE IN INDIA.
“Technology is best when it brings people together” Matt MullenwegHearing loss can be congenital or age-associated (mild, moderate & severe) having a strong impact on cognitive health.
Hearing aids are useful in mild to moderate hearing loss, but they can be of little or no use in cases of profound hearing loss, here, cochlear implants step in as the ideal choice.
However, upon conversion to digital signals, these analog sounds lose their natural texture and become harsh, and eventually leading to a comparatively unpleasant sound.
At Neubio, we understand this fundamental concept, and with our uncompromising analog signal-based audio technology, we are committed to delivering a true-to-life listening experience for every individual using our products, irrespective of their age and medical conditions.Type of stimulation: Digital Vs Analog signalBased on how the signals are received by the electrodes, and the type of stimulation, an implant can either be digital or analog.
simultaneous, non-simultaneous, or both (Composite).Waveform presentation (Analog or Pulsatile)It was observed that the cochlear implants equipped with the Analog strategy were better in terms of performance and stability (based on the 3-month evaluation to the 6-month evaluation reports) than the pulsatile ones.
Implantation carried out at the pre-lingual stage, had shown better results than when carried out at the post-lingual stage, and that to analog out-performed pulsatile at pre-lingual and post-lingual in both stages.Many other pro-Analog findings from research carried out by Stupak et al, (2018); Eddington, (1980); Shannon, et al (1981) and Battmer, (2000) support analog signals (8) for a cochlear implant.
