Adult Cochlear Implant Candidacy
The adult requirements for cochlear implant candidacy have been relaxed
over the years as the hearing ability of CI users has improved. If you're
interested in CI candidacy, you'll be very interested in this information!
Attitudes about implanting prelingually deaf folks has
really changed in the past few years.
February 2001 - It's becoming pretty well accepted that CIs are a
great tool for late-deafened people. It's less clear that it works well
with prelingually deaf folks. But what about deaf blind people. You may be surprised when you read
the following story from the University of Michigan Health System.
August 2003 - Interested in the latest thinking
regarding how a person's hearing history affects their speech
understanding with a CI? Then check out Dr.
Shannon's workshop from the SHHH convention.
August 2003 - Another interesting report from the SHHH
convention is on Dr. Waldman's presentation on the expanding
criteria for cochlear implantation.
April 2005 - Medicare loosened its acceptance
criteria for CI candidates, allowing people with less hearing loss to
receive an implant.
December 2005 - Seniors do fine with implants
January 2006 - Age
barriers soften for cochlear implants
January 2006 - Scientists Claim MRI Better Choice for CI
Candidates
October 2006 -
Counseling Adults Prior to a Cochlear Implant
January 2007 - Film
Explores CIs for 65-Year-Old Couple
August 2008 - Washington University to Study One-Sided
Hearing and CI
September 2008 - Geriatric patients receive significant
benefit from cochlear implantation
October 2008 -
The Cochlear Implant Journey: Candidacy, Expectations,
and Aural Rehabilitation
March 2009 - Cochlear Implant Surgery Is Safe For
the Elderly
August 2009 - Cochlear Implant Candidates Unidentified and
Underserved in Hearing Aid Dispensing Practice
December 2010 - Ninety-nine year old gets cochlear
implant!
February 2011 - Cochlear implantation in the elderly is a
viable, safe option
More on this and related
topics
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December 2005
'Age has no effect on outcome after implantation of a cochlear device among people over 65, a study suggests, leading
researchers to conclude that elderly patients "should not be discriminated
against in assessments for cochlear implant candidacy."'
Full
Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January 2006
At
both ends of the age spectrum, the market for cochlear implantation is
expanding. For children, the Food and Drug Administration has lowered
the age limit to one year -- it was two years in 1980 -- on the strength
of studies showing early implantation aids in the development of oral
communication. Richard Miyamoto, president-elect of the American Academy
of Otolaryngology, has implanted kids as young as 6 months old in
clinical studies.
Full
Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January 2006
Candidates for
cochlear implants (CIs) are required to undergo a variety of tests to
ensure that they have a good chance for a successful procedure. One test
examines the cochlea to ensure that the electrode array can be
successfully inserted. A CAT scan is often used to perform this test,
but scientists at the University of Texas have found that an MRI is a
better choice. Here's the press release.
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October 2006
Approximately 738,000 persons have severe to
profound hearing impairments in the United States and increasing numbers are
seeking cochlear implantation, including adults with long-term and
prelinguistic hearing loss. However, variable outcomes in relation to
cochlear implant performance have been reported in these populations
(Schramm, Fitzpatrick, & Seguin, 2002; Waltzman, Roland, & Cohen, 2002).
Clinically, these variable outcomes can be disappointing for clients.
Therefore, adults with prelinguistic hearing loss could be considered
borderline for cochlear implantation and may be more likely to benefit from
more comprehensive pre-implant counseling.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January
2007
Both
65 years old, Paul and Sally Taylor have led very productive and positive
lives. Despite being deaf, Paul became and engineer and was responsible
for helping to develop the TTY machine that is now a widely used
telecommunication device for the hearing-impaired. Sally became a teacher
and has lent her excellent lip-reading skills to law enforcement
investigations. And the two had three children all of whom could hear.
That is why after very full successful lives without the ability to hear,
the decision to now choose hearing was met with such surprise. Filmmaker
Taylor and her siblings had mixed feelings about the decision. And through
documenting the time leading up to and after the implantation of the
cochlear device, Taylor works out many of those feelings, answering
questions that we in the hearing world may not have ever thought to ask.
Full
Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
October 2008
Many dispensing professionals are surprised to see
that clients with thresholds in the severe range can make excellent
candidates for cochlear implants. This article provides an overview of
implant candidacy, the current prevailing ideas on what makes for the most
successful CI users, and how aural rehabilitation plays an important role in
the implant process.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
August 2009
The vast majority of patients with hearing loss
visiting a typical audiology private practice or hearing aid dispensing
office can be helped with hearing aids. Conventional wisdom would suggest
that very few, if any, cochlear implant candidates are seen in private
practices today since severe and profound hearing losses comprise a small
percentage of overall hearing loss. And if so, there is a variety of hearing
aid technology - such as frequency compression and/or frequency
transposition, directional microphones and FM compatibility - that might
help these people. So, why should a dispensing professional care about
cochlear implant candidacy or referral?
Full Story
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December 2010
Hedwig Christoph, age 99, doesn't want to miss a
single sound this holiday season. And following her Dec. 10 surgery, the
Califon, NJ resident will be able to hear better than she has for quite
awhile -- bells ringing, children singing -- the glorious gift of hearing
will be hers before the New Year.
At 7:30 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 10, Christoph underwent
surgery to receive the N-5 Cochlear Implant, a device that helps deliver
sound to people with severe-to-profound hearing loss. Otologist/neurotolgist,
Jed A. Kwartler, MD, of the Berkeley Height-based Summit Medical Group,
performed the surgery on Ms. Christoph, who is the oldest patient on record
to receive a cochlear implant.
The surgery took approximately one hour and the
device will be activated -- she will hear -- in approximately three weeks.
Medicare paid for the $30,000 device.
Full Story
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February 2011
According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, hearing loss is one of the most common conditions among seniors.
One in three adults older than age 60 and half of people older than age 85
experience hearing loss. Age-related hearing loss, or presbycusis, is one
cause. This is a gradual worsening of function of the hair cells inside the
cochlea that allow you to hear. There seems to be a genetic component for
this type of hearing loss, although no specific genes have been identified.
Repeated exposure to loud noises also damages hair cells, as does smoking.
These factors have led to an expanding field of older adults who require
hearing assistance. Cochlear implants are electronic devices implanted in
the cochlea, or inner ear, to restore hearing in those who are profoundly
hearing impaired. Much has been discussed regarding the risks and benefits
of cochlear implants for people of advanced age, and not surprisingly,
concerns have arisen regarding overall benefit and life expectancy to
realize the benefit.
Full Story
