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We've provided a list of our most frequently asked questions
for your convenience. If your question is not here, or
if you need additional information, you may contact the
Center's staff at: cochlear@umdnj.edu
and email us your question.
I'm scared.
What happens during surgery?
The surgery, performed under general anesthesia, usually
takes three to four hours and is most commonly conducted
as an outpatient procedure. The internal components
of the Nucleus® 24 system are implanted totally beneath
the skin. After surgery, there is a dressing around
the head which is removed after 24 hours.
Once
the surgery is completed, what can I do to promote my
own healing and progress?
Continue a healthy lifestyle to allow the tissues to
heal around the implant. Avoid injury to the head at
the site of the implant. Following programming of the
implant, motivation and commitment are extremely important.
Commitment includes full-time use of the implant system,
dedication to keeping appointments, careful maintenance
of the equipment, and for children, use of rehabilitation/education
strategies to develop listening skills in everyday situations.
How
long does it take to recuperate?
It generally takes four to six weeks after surgery
for the surgical area to heal. Most implant recipients
feel well enough after a week or so to resume their
normal activities.
Will
there be a visible scar?
Once your skin heals, the incision is hardly noticeable
and only a slight bump may remain over the implant.
Depending upon your hairstyle, this will usually be
covered.
How
do I work the Nucleus® System?
After about six weeks, you return to our center for
the first fitting of the external components: the ear
level speech processor and the body-worn processor.
This is commonly called a mapping. Before this session,
you will not be able to hear with the implant. Our audiologist
uses a computer and special software to program your
speech processor. She sets the speech processor to the
appropriate levels of stimulation for each electrode.
With your assistance, the audiologist will determine
the softest level and the most comfortable level of
sound that can be heard for each electrode. This initial
process takes half a day. Our audiologist will work
with you to develop a schedule of follow up visits for
"fine tuning" of your speech processor. Adjustments
are necessary because it takes time for the hearing
nerve to adapt to signals from the electrodes and for
the brain to interpret these new signals. Over time,
the number of adjustments to your speech processor program
will probably decrease. Experienced recipients usually
visit our audiologist once or twice per year.
Does the cochlear
implant include a battery that is inside the head? If
so, how often does it need to be replaced?
No. The implant itself does not have a battery. The
power is fed to the implant from the processor, which
is on the outside of the ear and has a rechargeable
battery. The life of the rechargeable battery is at
least several years. The battery is recharged on a nightly
basis.
If
I received an implant today, and a more advanced implant
was developed in two years, would I need another complete
operation to keep up-to-date?
The majority of advances in cochlear implant technology
are at the level of the external speech processor, so
the internal components would most likely not need to
be changed.
If I had a
cochlear implant ten years ago and wanted to use the
new technology would I need another operation?
In most cases you would need another operation. Some
of the older implants process slowly. Some provide only
analog stimulation. Some are single channel devices.
If, for instance, you wanted to step up to a multi-channel
device having had a single channel device before, you
would need full surgery again, although our surgeon
would not need to extensively drill the bone again.
Can I go swimming
with the implant? If not, what would happen if I accidentally
fell into the water?
Yes, you can go swimming. The implant is completely
under the skin and is waterproof, but the processor
and headset must be removed. If the processor and/or
the headset get wet, they can be dried out afterwards
and may be fully functional.
If I decided
to no longer "use" the implant, how is it removed?
The coupler and processor are taken off nightly, just
like a hearing aid. If you wished to permanently remove
the implant, it would require surgery.
What
are the risks associated with cochlear implant surgery?
While you should be aware of the potential risks, few
significant problems have been reported for children
or adults who have received a Nucleus® System. It is
important that you talk with your physician about your
personal surgical risks.
Will insurance
cover the cost of the surgery?
Most insurance companies will cover all or part of
the procedure, hardware, audiological management and
aural rehabilitation. It is best to check with the reimbursement
specialists at our Center so that you can give your
insurance company time to understand and review information
about the cochlear implant procedure.
What is the
expected outcome of cochlear implant surgery?
How do you know when an operation
has been successful?
Most patients feel that their overall quality of life
has improved after the cochlear implant. The patients
who do the best after cochlear implant surgery have
open-set speech understanding in lightly crowded rooms
and use the phone without problems. It may take a few
years to get to this level. We consider the implantation
a success when the patient can control his own speech,
recognize environmental sounds and correctly recognize
speech sounds (i.e. vowel / consonant / closed set word
/ open set word / sentence recognition).
What
about people who say my child should remain deaf and
part of the Deaf community?
It is important to accept and understand that your
child is deaf and will never have normal hearing. This
can help you focus on the many options available for
your child regarding methods of communication, school
and social lifestyle. The Deaf Community communicates
in many different ways: oral communication (speech),
manual communication (sign language), and total communication
(combination of speech and sign language). You may find
it helpful to talk with individuals who are familiar
with each of these methods to help you better understand
your options and differing viewpoints.
Your answers to the following questions also may help
you reach decisions that are best for your child.
What method of communication…
- Do I want to use with my child?
- Fits our lifestyle and family situation?
- Can best provide my child with the foundation for
a meaningful and happy life?
- Will allow my child the educational setting (classroom
for hearing impaired students, school for the deaf,
mainstreamed in regular classroom) that is best for
our family?
Based upon your research, you can make an informed
personal choice about the method of communication and
education that will be in the best interest of your
child.
Since
my child's skull will continue to grow as he ages, would
he need a new implant in a few years?
The cochlea is at its full size at birth. Because of
this and the built-in redundancy of the external wiring,
there is no need for reimplantation. In addition, since
the implant is in the mastoid area where there is plenty
of room for growth, repeated surgery is not necessary.
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About
the Cochlear Implant
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