International Day of Cochlear Implants: What is it and how does it improve the quality of life?

On February 25, the International Day of Cochlear Implants in commemoration of the date on which the first procedure was performed with this device. In Argentina, the first experiments were launched more than three decades ago.

Cochlear implants are implantable electronic devices that replace the function of the hair cells located in the cochlea – or snail – in the inner part of the ear. They transform sound waves into electrical stimuli, cause them to reach the auditory nerve, and then the auditory cerebral cortex. This is how people with severe to profound hearing loss can perceive the sounds and access the ability to hear.

This instrument has revolutionized the treatment of deep and severe hearing loss and scored a before and after in otology, audiology and the lives of the deaf.

The implant is composed of two parts: a internal which is placed in the ear by a surgical procedure of about an hour and a half, and another external, which is used in the same way as a hearing aid, placed and removed every day.

Implant surgery surgery it is very safe, with minimal recovery times, and the implantable devices have high reliability. Some of the most common have electrodes that promote the preservation of auditory remains and even allow the realization of magnetic resonances without inconvenience.

These reasons, and many others, make there is no age limit for the establishment of the cochlear implant, accessing the same babies as of the year, adults over four years, and people with multiple disabilities, can in all cases achieve positive results in terms of audience and their quality of life.

Who can benefit from a cochlear implant?

In the childrenThe earlier the implant is placed, the better the results, as they allow for better development and acquisition of speech and language during critical periods of neuroplasticity. The longer the hearing loss, the more limited the results can be.

In the case of patients with postural deafness (The hearing loss is after the language acquisition), the results are very positive and the restoration of hearing tends to be more agile and faster. The cases that tend to be more complex are the pre-lingual deaf teenagers and adults (Their hearing loss predates the acquisition of speech), since they have never had an audience before, so they must learn from nothing. There are two groups of patients who, in recent years, have gained ground as good candidates for cochlear implantation, it is the patients who present multiple disabilities and the adult adults.

There is international scientific evidence and extensive casuistry that shows that people with multiple disabilities achieve significant benefits after hearing through a cochlear implant. In many cases, although they can not communicate through oral language, they do so in other ways and they acquire a very valuable level of understanding for communication with others, connection with the environment, their personal safety and the opportunity to enjoy various situations, activities and links.

In the adult adults, the results can also be surprising. Brain plasticity is a skill that we rely on all human beings and that allows us to continue to incorporate and learn new things throughout our lives.

This process of brain plasticity means that older people who have lost hearing – after a decrease in their general cognitive functioning, linked to the limitation of access to information because of the l? unable to hear – manage to reverse these images and get very good results. good results after starting to listen with the cochlear implant. Clinical experience shows that these patients show excellent results not only at the auditory level, but also at the cognitive level, links, emotional and your activities of daily living.

How implants influence the quality of life

The improvements in the quality of life of cochlear implant users are truly significant and are observable in different areas of life, in children as well as in adults. The patients themselves and their families clearly point to them: users are able to immerse themselves in the world of sound, to connect in a new way to the environment, to establish a more complete and effective communication with others, the links family and non-family life tend to improve because the exchanges are more fluid.

In many cases, children can be integrated into common schools, learn oral language, study at university, listen to music and learn languages. Adults are reintegrated into the world of work, regain their autonomy and autonomy, find social bonds, overcome isolation and loneliness, greatly improve their self-esteem and self-confidence, their sense of productivity and utility, resume their social activities, leisure, work and learning. , enjoy music, play sports, learn languages, etc., be able to enjoy life with more tools and more fully.

Accessibility in Argentina

In Argentina, access to a prosthesis such as the cochlear implant is guaranteed by the compulsory medical program, a health program that establishes a set of essential benefits that insurance agents must guarantee to their beneficiaries, and Act 24,901 of the Basic Disability Benefit Basic System and Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities.

(*) Dr. Vicente Diamante (M.N .: 19960). Center for Cochlear Implants Professor Diamante – Established 30 years ago, it is the center that hosts the largest number of patients treated in the country. He has the greatest experience in Latin America, the only one to realize brainstem auditory implants in children of cochlear implants with quality management system certified ISO 9001: 2015 – Standards.