The disadvantages of cochlear implants are.
You may not be able to understand language well.
You may night hear as well as other people who have had successful outcomes with the their cochlear implants.
You may have unknown and uncertain effects.
You may lose residual hearing and you may hear sounds differently.
After a cochlear implant you will only need to stay in the hospital for maybe 30 minutes to an hour before being discharged.
You do not have to stay in the hospital after cochlear implant surgery as cochlear implant surgery is an outpatient surgery meaning you or your child will go home from the hospital the same day.
The cochlear implant surgery takes between 1 to 2 hours per each ear.
The incision for a cochlear implant is a 2 inch incision behind the ear, which is where the cochlear implant is placed.
People who are a candidate for cochlear implant are people that have sensorineural hearing loss which means the hearing loss is cause stems from the inner ear or cochlea.
Also to qualify for and be a candidate for cochlear implant the person must have the ability to not just hear words but also distinguish those words.
Cochlear implants are not allowed in MRI because there is a potential for some adverse events to occur which include pain during or after the MRI scan and skin swelling or skin breakdown over the implant magnet.
The two negative limitations of a cochlear implant are.
The person may hear sounds differently.
The person may lose their residual hearing.
Other negative limitations of a cochlear implant are.
The person may not be able to understand language well.
They may have unknown and uncertain effects.
And they may not hear as well as others who have had successful outcomes with their cochlear implants.
The level of hearing loss that requires a cochlear implant is a hearing loss level of between 2000, 3000 and 4000 Hz ≥75 dB HL).
Severe to profound mid to high frequency hearing loss typically requires a cochlear implant.
You are not awake during cochlear implant surgery as anyone getting a cochlear implant is given general anesthesia so that they are asleep during the cochlear implant surgery.
Those who cannot get a cochlear implant are those with an inner ear abnormality such as Michel malformation where the cochlea does not develop or complete absence of the cochlear nerve.
The hearing with a cochlear implant sounds like a robotic sound or tinning sound.
With time however the sounds with a cochlear implant usually becomes more clear and natural as the brain adjusts to the new signals.
To install a cochlear implant the surgeon will drill a linear path from your lateral skull to the cochlea through the facial recess.
Cochlear implant is not a major surgery although some surgery is required to implant the cochlear implant.
The cochlear implant surgery lasts about two hours.
Patients are given medication (general anesthesia) so that they are asleep during the procedure.
The surgeon makes a small incision behind the ear and then creates an opening in the mastoid bone to guide the electrode to the cochlea.
Cochlear implants allow deaf people to receive and process sounds and speech but they do not restore normal hearing.
The age group that does better with cochlear implants are between 10 to 12 months of age and before 3 years of age.
The early implantation of the cochlear implant gives the child the best chance to be able to learn and use sound while language skills are developing.
The average age of a patient receiving a cochlear implant is between the ages of 10 months to 12 months of age.
If a child gets a cochlear implant at 10 months to 12 months of age then they should have evaluations starting at age 3 to 4 months of age.
A congenitally deaf child should have the cochlear implant surgery before they are 3 years of age and earlier if it's possible.
Cochlear implants can get wet although you should remove the external processor of the cochlear implant before showering or swimming as they are not waterproof.
However some cochlear implant models of external processors have waterproofing options and can then be used in the shower, bath or pool but normal cochlear implant external processors are not waterproof.
The success of cochlear implants is very high and less than 0.2 percent of people reject the cochlear implants.
Adults with cochlear implants often benefit immediately after the placement of the cochlear implant and the sound quality continues to improve for around 3 months after the initial tuning sessions of the cochlear implant.
Cochlear implants cannot cure deafness and they don't restore a persons normal hearing.
Although the cochlear implant can help the person recognize words and also better understand speech even when using a phone.
A cochlear implant lasts for a persons lifetime.
Although there are some cases where there have been cochlear implant failure and then the cochlear implant was replaced.
A cochlear implant is a surgically implanted neuroprosthesis that provides a person who has moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss with sound perception.
With the help of therapy, cochlear implants may allow for improved speech understanding in both quiet and noisy environments.
The sound perceived through a cochlear implant is not the same as the sound heard with normal hearing.
Cochlear implant wearers who have previously heard naturally often describe the sound as being robotic or tinny.
However, with time the brain adjusts to the new signals and what is heard becomes more natural.
The chances and success rate of a cochlear implant for hearing is pretty high.
Out of 100 percent of cochlear implant surgeries only about 10 percent of the 100 percent of the cochlear implants have failed or not worked properly for some people.
Most people who do have cochlear implants have a great hearing ability again after the cochlear implant.
There are no age limits when it comes to getting a cochlear implant as long as the patient has severe or profound hearing loss in both ears and hearing aids do not help.
You can get a cochlear implant for hearing as early as age 3 and 1 years old and as old as age 65 to 85 and above.
The average age that people get cochlear implants is around 68 years to 82 years old.
So as long as you're eligible for the cochlear implant and hearing aids do not improve your hearing then you should speak with your doctor about the cochlear implants which if you qualify the doctor will usually recommend you he cochlear implant.
Most health insurance companies will cover the cost of cochlear implants if they are deemed medically necessary.