Frequently Asked Questions
Staff from the Cochlear Implant Program at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center provide answers to commonly asked questions:
1. How can I be referred for CI?
You can visit your otolaryngologist, pediatrician or other health care professional who manages your hearing loss. That professional can refer you for a cochlear implant evaluation. The evaluation form can be accessed on this site for your health care provider to fill out and help us better evaluate your child's cochlear implant options.
2. What degree of hearing loss qualifies a child for a cochlear implant?
Cochlear implants are indicated for children 12 months and older with a severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss in both ears.
3. What are the benefits of a cochlear implant?
The benefits of cochlear implantation vary from person to person. The cochlear implant provides access to sound not attainable with hearing aids. With auditory training and speech therapy, some children become very successful communicators with the use of their cochlear implant.
4. Are there any risks associated with cochlear implants?
As with any surgical procedure, there is a risk of infection. It is important that the child's immunizations are up-to-date and include streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae vaccines. The cochlear implant surgeon will discuss the surgical risks further during your child's appointment.
5. How is a child evaluated for a cochlear implant?
After it is determined that a child has an appropriate degree of hearing loss and has not made progress with the use of hearing aids, a referral is made to the Cochlear Implant Team. One of the cochlear implant audiologists meets with the family to discuss the evaluation process, review any current therapy records and determine what further information is needed. The family is provided with forms to complete. All these forms must be completed and returned before appointments can be scheduled with the rest of the cochlear implant team. Once we have all of the child's information, we can determine what further evaluations need to be completed. The family will be contacted to schedule these appointments. Typically, they are completed in one or two days to multiple trips to the hospital.
6. Does my child need to be involved in Speech and Aural Rehabilitation therapies prior to the evaluation process?
During the three month trial period with hearing aids, we require that the child is involved in at least one of these types of therapies to determine degree of benefit with hearing aids.
7. What are the follow-up requirements?
Approximately three weeks following surgery, your child will return for the fitting of the external portion of the device and activation of the internal device. The programming of the device occurs over several appointments which allows the child to adjust to the new stimulation. Following the activation, the child returns again in approximately 2 weeks for further adjustment. The child is then seen for programming (or mapping) appointments at one month, three months, six months, nine months, twelve months and eighteen months following the activation of the device. Then the child is expected to return for annual check-ups. Speech therapy and Aural Rehabilitation therapy can begin as soon as the child is fit with the external device. Therapies occur weekly and 80% attendance with therapies is mandatory.
8. What does a cochlear implant look like?
The cochlear implant appears very much like a hearing aid. There is an additional headpiece portion to the device that is not included on hearing aids. The headpiece coil is the portion of the cochlear implant responsible for passing the auditory signal on to the internal (implanted) device.
9. How long will the cochlear implant surgery take?
The average surgery time is approximately 4 hours. There may be conditions that would prolong the surgery time. Some examples would be an additional procedure (insertion of PE tubes) or bilateral implantation.
10. How long is the recovery after surgery?
Following the surgery, the child is taken immediately to the recovery area. Parents are brought in to be with the child once he awakens. There is a one-night hospital stay for our pediatric patients. Typically, the child will sleep quite a bit of the day following surgery. There is a bandage on the child's head that must stay in place for 48 hours following the procedure. Most kids are back on their feet and feeling back to normal the day after surgery. There may be some initial dizziness associated with the surgery, which is normal.
11. When can my child go back to school after the surgery?
A child can resume activities as soon as he feels able. This may very from child to child. Some children receive their implant on Thursday and return to school the following Monday. Others may take longer to feel comfortable returning to their daily activities. It is important that the school is aware of the surgery and allows the child to refrain from activities that may be contraindicated following surgery, i.e. physical education class, certain playground activities.
12. What if my insurance does not cover cochlear implants?
Our team surgeon can contact the insurance company directly to request coverage. This is sometimes, but not always, successful. The social worker on the cochlear implant team is available to provide information on alternative funding sources. The cochlear implant manufacturers also have departments designated to deal with this issue.
13. How is a cochlear implant different from a hearing aid?
Hearing aids amplify the signal, which passes through the auditory system and utilizes surviving hair cells to carry the signal to the auditory nerve.
No matter how loud a signal the hearing aid produces, some profoundly hearing-impaired ears cannot process the information due to the damaged hair cells.
With a cochlear implant, the electrode array bypasses damaged hair cells in the cochlea to directly stimulate the surviving auditory nerve fibers.
14. Are children with multiple handicaps / health issues eligible for a cochlear implant?
Most definitely. Our center prides itself on our team evaluation process in which we evaluate the whole child, not just the hearing loss. We have a skilled developmental pediatrician who specializes in hearing-impairment to evaluate each child's unique skills and challenges. The information gained is helpful in setting appropriate expectations for each individual child.
