Hearing Implants

Hearing aid implants are quite frequently referred to as cochlear implants. A hearing loss story that includes severe deafness in both ears, a failure of other hearing aids to provide the help needed, and also the ability to speak are usually at the heart of these hearing implants. A cochlear hearing implant is a gadget that many consider to be a last ditch effort at helping an affected individual who wishes to have the ability to hear and communicate with a hearing world to do so.

As such, the hearing implant requires surgery by qualified and highly trained otolaryngologists who will permanently affix this smallest hearing aid implant into the inner ear. While it may be somewhat misleading to refer to cochlear implant and hearing aid in the same breath – the device functions decidedly differently from the traditional hearing aid - implant specialists do choose at times to use these terms interchangeably to help patients lose their fear of the technology.

Here are some little known facts about these hearing implants:

• The choice between hearing aids or cochlear implants is easily made, since usage of the latter requires that usage of the former is useless.



• Hearing implants require a functioning auditory nerve. If the nerve is non-functioning or severely retarded, hearing will not be possible.



• Hearing implants are useful for children as well as adults. There is no age limit, only the physical ability to tolerate the surgery of the hearing aid implant, bone healing capabilities, and toleration of the anesthesia.



• Non surgical hearing aid implants are not available at this time.



• Insertion of hearing implants is irreversible.



• Cochlear implants require complete exhaustion of hearing loss. Any hearing ability still present at the time of surgery will be lost completely.



• Children who receive this implant to combat their deafness are more likely to suffer from pneumococcal meningitis than children who did not receive this surgery.