Cochlear Implants by National Hearing Care Centre

What is a Cochlear Implant  A cochlear implants an electrical device which proposes to remedy the incapacity of functioning by being in place of the damaged hair cells and providing the necessary electrical stimulation. The implant mimics pattern of nerve activity present in the normal human ear and allows for the "spontaneous recognition of all types of sound" and eventual acquisition determination to use cochlear implants in prelingually & post lingually deaf children. Cochlear implant is a prosthetic management for hearing.

Who can get a cochlear implant?

• Having severe to profound sensorineural hearing impairment in both ears.
• Living in or desiring to live in the "hearing world"
• Not benefiting enough from other kinds of hearing aids

In order to determine if a patient is a candidate for a cochlear implant, the patient must has a medical evaluation by an ear, nose, and throat doctor (Otolaryngologist/ENT). This evaluation may include a CT scan or MRI scan of the brain and the middle and inner ear.

What are the benefits of a cochlear implant?

• Many parents of children with cochlear implants report that their child
• Has greater confidence in social situations
• Hears clearly in noisy environments
• Enjoys a world of new sounds
• Talk on the phone & enjoy music

Optimum age for an implant? Congenitally deaf children who receive cochlear implants at a young age (Less than 2 years) have better success with them than congenitally deaf children who first receive the implants at a later age, though the critical period for utilizing auditory information does not close completely until adolescence. Benefits of binaural implant Hearing with two ears is called binaural hearing, has distinct advantages such as improved speech understanding in noise, better speech recognition and sound localization. In general, it can be said that "stereo" hearing (with two ears) is less strenuous than "mono" hearing (with one ear). The distinct advantages of bilateral implantation have also been well documented in adults. Several studies have reported restored ability to localize sounds and that adult bilateral users have demonstrated all of the binaural effects that normal individuals enjoy. Furthermore, the age of implantation in adults appears to have no bearing on the performance of the cochlear implant meaning that older adults can also obtain the same benefits as younger implanted adults. Auditory Habilitation Auditory Verbal Training (AVT) or Post-op rehabilitation.

Rehabilitation is an essential part for those who have undergone Cochlear Implantation. All patients need Auditory Verbal Therapy (AVT). In Auditory Verbal Therapy, the emphasis is laid on making the child listen and speak normally, rather than on lip reading and visual cues. Learning to listen takes time and requires concerted efforts from the patient, the family and the person providing habilitation services. Thus the implant can offer a wide range of benefits, including hearing speech, environmental sounds and music.