What are the cochlear implants?

A cochlear implant is a surgically inserted biomedical device designed to provide sound/auditory information to the brains of children and adults who experience severe to profound hearing loss. Many children with ANSD, auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder also receive substantial benefit from cochlear implantation.

As contrary to hearing aids which provides auditory access by amplifying sound (making incoming sound louder), cochlear implants compensate for damaged or nonworking parts of the inner ear.

Components/parts of cochlear implant:

• External speech processor (body worn/behind the ear): The microphone picks up sounds/auditory information from the environment and converts it into digital signals. Then processor sends digital signals to internal implants that has been surgically inserted.
• Surgically implanted electrode array: Internal implant converts signals into electrical energy, sending it to an electrode array inserted inside the cochlea.
• Electrodes stimulate hearing nerve,bypassing damaged hair cells and the brain perceives signals,one hears sound and receive auditory information with auditory experience and learning.

Cochlear Implant Care Provider Team:

Children who are being considered for implantable hearing technology or you are using currently need to be managed by a team of experienced professionals,

• Paediatrician
• ENT specialist
• Peadiatric Audiologist
• Child Psychologist
• Speech and Language Pathologist
• Auditory Verbal Therapist
• Teacher of the Deaf

Cochlear Implant Candidacy:

Candidacy implies, identifying a baby or child as a candidate for a cochlear implant. It means that he or she should obtain significantly better auditory brain access from a cochlear implant than from the most optimally fitted hearing aids.

Following are generally accepted candidate criteria globally though some variations may be present (ASHA,2004b; Gifford,2014)

• Age is 9 months and older, although more children are being implanted even younger than 9 months.
• Severe to profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss.
• Little benefit from hearing aids.
• No medical contraindications to undergoing surgery.
• Absence of active middle ear disease.
• Desired outcome for the baby or child is spoken language and reading skills consistent with hearing peers.
• An educational/therapeutic setting that emphasizes auditory verbal therapy and communication is provided.

Benefits of Cochlear Implant:

Children with cochlear implants demonstrate significant improvements in all areas of speech perception and production as compared to their preoperative performance with hearing aids.

Its benefits range from improved detection of sounds to understanding speech without relying on lip reading.

It helps in deft use of music, media and telephone too.

Post operated with cochlear implants, along with proficient auditory based intervention and educational programs with involved and committed families to the training process, children with hearing loss can develop adequate listening skills, develop intelligible spoken language, and enjoy the social and academic standards commensurate with peers with typical hearing.

Benefits of Bilateral Implants:

Research on bilateral implants has shown advantages for many children in the following areas:

• Improved speech perception in noise
• Improved localization of speech and environmental sounds (spatial hearing).
• Better access to binaural summation
• Opportunities to utilize the better ear to its best
• Better speech and language outcomes
• Reduced load of listening fatigue, in turn reduced cognitive load.