Cochlear Implant Surgery Is Safe For the Elderly
Editor: I know several older folks who have resisted getting a cochlear
implant, at least in part because of their concerns about the risks of
surgery. As this notice points out, that really shouldn't be much of a
concern!
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March 2009
Contrary to conventional medical wisdom, a new study by NYU Langone
Medical Center researchers shows that healthy elderly patients with severe
to profound hearing loss can undergo a surgical procedure to receive
cochlear implants with minimal risk. "Due to concerns about the effects of
general anesthesia, many elderly people with hearing loss are not
receiving the implants which can significantly improve their hearing and
quality of life," according to Anil Lalwani, M.D., Mendik Foundation
Professor of Otolaryngology and Chairman of the Department of
Otolaryngology at NYU School of Medicine and a study co-author. "The
elderly are often incorrectly considered too fragile for this life
transforming technology that can deliver them from a world of silence and
loneliness to a world of hearing and engagement," says Dr. Lalwani. The
new study is published in the February issue of the journal The
Laryngoscope.
The National Institute on Aging estimates that 30 % of Americans
between ages 65 and 74 have hearing difficulty - and that number increases
to 50 percent in people 85 and older. In about 10% of the elderly, the
impairment is so severe that conventional hearing aids provide little
benefit. The inability to communicate interferes greatly with daily living
and can lead to cognitive impairment, personality changes, depression,
reduced functional status and social isolation.
The researchers conducted a retrospective chart review of 70 patients
over 70 years of age who received cochlear implants under general
anesthesia at NYU Langone Medical Center between 1984 and 2007. The
patients were divided into risk groups and intraoperative and
postoperative anesthesia-related complications were identified. Most
patients tolerated the procedure and there was no long-term morbidity or
mortality related to the surgery or anesthesia.
The researchers concluded that general anesthesia is well tolerated by
elderly patients undergoing cochlear implantation. Any pre - existing
medical condition is a better predictor of intraoperative and
postoperative complication than age alone, they observed. Jung T. Kim,
M.D. Vice chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology at NYU School of
Medicine and a study co-author said "As seniors embrace a healthy and
active lifestyle, it is important that age alone should not deter a person
from having surgery that could potentially improve their quality of life."
