Cochlear Implant - Is it the right fit for your child

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Cochlear Implant - Is it the right fit for your
child?
We turned a child who couldnt hear into a
typical 2-year-old who doesnt listen. Mount
Sinai Hospital post performing cochlear
implantation
Once you've acknowledged that your kid has
hearing loss, the next question on your mind is
which treatment choice is ideal for your child's
hearing loss, taking into account its severity,
if you should utilise hearing aids or cochlear
implants, and so on. Additionally, there are a
plethora of other questions about surgery,
appearance, financial load, social status,
personal and situational factors, all of which
contribute to the complexity. Because the signs
and symptoms of hearing loss range from one
child to the next, its vital to plan ahead for
personalized care. Is a cochlear implant right
for your loved ones? is the most pressing
question.
Cochlear Implant Panacea for hearing loss
Cochlear implants are different from hearing
aids. A cochlear implant is an implanted device
that provides access to sound to those who have
severe or profound hearing loss by electrically
stimulating nerves in the inner ear. It works for
both children and adults. People with hearing
loss can benefit from cochlear implants and is
consists of two major parts. An exterior sound
processor that rests close to the ear and a
second portion is surgically implanted beneath
the skin. In severe or profound hearing loss
there is damage in cochlea and cochlear implant
bypasses the damaged cochlea and stimulates the
auditory nerve. Cochlear implant has tiny
electrodes which
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are inserted inside the cochlea by performing
surgery and they convert sound wave into
electrical signals stimulating the auditory
nerve.
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Candidacy for cochlear implant

• The criteria for assessing eligibility for
  cochlear implants have evolved considerably since
  the devices were first introduced. A complete
  developmental, speech, and language examination
  is required before therapy can be provided to a
  kid. Hearing aids can help adults with mild to
  moderate hearing loss since they can make sounds
  louder, however, if your childs condition is
  more serious and he or she has severe or profound
  hearing loss, cochlear implants are the only
  option.
• Cochlear implants are suitable for people with
• Severe to profound hearing loss
• Acceptability of Cochlear implant
• According to a data published by US Food and Drug
  Administration, around 736,900 registered
  cochlear devices had been implanted worldwide as
  of December 2019. The potential for significant
  improvement in life of deaf/profound hearing loss
  patients, combined with low complication rates,
  easy and quick surgeries have suggested that with
  better research and investigation cochlear
  implant devices are performing better as a result
  of which awareness for cochlear implant is on
  the rise. Parents have more preference for
  cochlear implant for their kids at young age as
  9 -12 months, because of awareness that is on
  rise. Parents are now acquainted with the fact
  that an early treatment/intervention of hearing
  loss, is better for the language and speech
  development in their ward(1). Technical
  advancement of cochlear implant with patient
  specific fitting has multiplied their
  acceptability for congenital/Agre related/ Noise
  related profound hearing loss.
• Who can get a cochlear implant and its need
  determination?
• According to NIDCD (National Institute on
  Deafness and Other Communication Disorders),
  discussions with medical professionals,
  particularly an experienced cochlear-implant
  surgeon, should precede the decision to obtain
  an implant. The procedure might be costly.
  Surgical implantations are nearly always safe
  however problems do exist, just as they do with
  any other

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type of surgery. Learning to comprehend the
sounds produced by an implant is another factor
to consider. This procedure needs patience and
practice. This learning process usually involves
speech-language pathologists and audiologists.
All of these concerns must be evaluated prior to
implantation.
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Cochlear Implant Fits better when choices are
made right
As it is clear that cochlear implants are
suitable for people with permanent /sever to
profound hearing loss or who are deaf (Age/Noise
related). In the case of children there are
various factors that need to be considered prior
to go for cochlear implant. Each childs hearing
loss indications and symptoms are distinct. If
you suspect your kid has a hearing problem,
schedule a hearing test as soon as possible with
your childs doctor.
1. Before cochlear implants the first stop is
hearing aid Trial
Patients should be fitted and extensively tested
for hearing aids and followed for 3-6 months for
any changes in their hearing loss status before
obtaining a cochlear implant, according to
physicians and audiologists. This trial is of
short duration for children suffering with
meningitis and even experiment is sometimes
skipped because bone development in the cochlea
after meningitis might make implantation
difficult. 1.1 Indian Government Norms Child
should have used suitable hearing aid for at
least 3 months with no significant improvement
in speech and language development (1)
2. Type and degree of hearing loss
The Cochlear implant works best if it is
implanted at an early age. From the USA to India,
whether it is the FDA or the Department of
Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities
(Divyangjan) under the Ministry of Social Justice
Empowerment, the right age for Cochlear
implantation is the earlier the better. 2.1
Indian Government Norms Severe to Profound
sensorineural hearing loss in both ears (1) 3.
Age factor Earlier the Better
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• Age criteria in Developed Country The Food and
  Drug Administration (FDA) recommend cochlear
  implant devices for babies as young as nine
  months old. It has been observed that children
  who are young respond better to cochlear
  implants. For children who have profound or
  permanent hearing loss, they can undergo cochlear
  implantation as early as 9-18 months (90 dB or
  greater).
• Age criteria in Developing Country like India
  (a) Child with congenital deafness
• (since birth) upto 5 years. (b) Upto 12 years for
  child with post lingual deafness i.e. after
  development of speech language (1).

Summary
If you're the concerned parents of a kid who has
been diagnosed with congenital/sensorineural heari
ng loss (SNHL) and is a candidate for an implant,
now is the important time to intervene, because
hearing affects a child's cognitive and social
development. By postponing a cochlear implant,
you are limiting or delaying your kid from
attaining the same developmental milestones as
their normal peers. The cochlear implant you
choose must let your kid experience all of life's
joys, possibilities, and enjoyment.
Neubios Take on it
Neubio understands that each and every patient
with hearing loss, from mild to moderate, severe
to profound, or with congenital to acquired
hearing loss (Noise related/Age related), has
their own needs when it comes to hearing
solutions. For medical-grade cochlear implants,
Neubio knows, whats on the inside that matters
the most. Neubio is committed to providing
state-of- the-art technology and understands the
difference between hearing solutions based
technology at all levels. Neubio suggests you to
seek medical intervention as early as possible.
References 1. http//adipcochlearimplant.in/ADIP_
PDF/CI20Candidacys.pdf
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1. https//www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/cochlear-implants
   a
2. https//www.babyhearing.org/devices/cochlear-impla
   nt-candidacy (Boys Town National Research
   Hospital).

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