Long-term consideration of the treatment process of cochlear implants with regard to complications and wearing times.

Introduction Medical and technical factors lead to a wider range of indications for CI care. Important for the quality assurance of the form of treatment is, among others the consideration of the long-term care. This includes a systematic recording of the complications as well as their analysis so that their timely detection and appropriate treatment methods can be ensured.

Material / Methods The retrospective analysis is based on data records of > 10,000 implantations of a university ENT clinic. The focus is on postoperative complications including explants. These were divided into four categories (A medical, B technical, C upgrade, D other) and analysed with regard to the wearing time.

Results From 1984 to 2020 there was an increase in implantations both in children ( <  2 a) and in older people ( > 70 a). During the period, 7 %  of the implants were explanted. Technical defects were the main cause for explantation with 57 % , followed by medical reasons (31 % ). The categories “upgrade” (3 % ) and “other” (9 % ) have as far as a subordinate role. In categories A, B and C, the average wearing time until explantation is 50-65 %  within the first 5 years after implantation. An upgrade usually only takes place after 15-20 years

Conclusion / Discussion A continuous aftercare, lifelong, especially in the first few years after the operation, is medically indicated. Constant monitoring and the resulting valid risk assessment for all patients is fundamental for the future of CI therapy. Reimplantations due to technical upgrades will increase in the next few years, as technical advances can be expected to significantly improve hearing performance.

Poster-PDF A-1461.pdf

RESPONSE Forschungsvorhaben 13, FKZ 03ZZ0923B

Publication History

Article published online:
13 May 2021