St George s Cochlear Implant Programme

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1 St George s Cochlear Implant Programme This information is for patients who may need a Cochlear Implant. It explains what cochlear implants are and how they work. It also tells you about the programme and the team. What is St George s Cochlear Implant Programme? St George s Cochlear Implant Programme is a comprehensive service for the assesment and treatment of children and adults who may benefit from a cochlear implant. We have an experienced team including: ENT surgeons Audiological Physicians Audiological Scientists Speech and LanguageTherapists Teachers of the Hearing Impaired Cochlear implantation is a highly specialised service. An important part of our work is to provide our patients and their families with the information they need to make an informed decision about choosing a cochlear implant. We provide a family centred programme with an exceptional standard of care. What is a cochlear implant and how does it work? A cochlear implant is a complex hearing device. It is designed to bypass the damaged parts of the inner ear by electrically stimulating the hearing nerve. This then sends a signal to the brain where it is interpreted as a sound. The cochlear implant can help to provide a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing. Cochlear implants provide an important option for individuals who gain little or no benefit from a conventional hearing aid. What does the cochlear implant consist of? A cochlear implant has both internal and external parts. The internal part is put in place surgically (in an operation under general anesthesia). It consists of: a receiver and magnet, which are placed under the skin behind the ear an electrode array (series of electrodes), which is placed in the cochlea (see the shell-like structure of the inner ear on the diagrams) The external parts of the system consist of: a speech processor a coil/cable

2 How does normal hearing work? 1 Sound moves through the ear canal and reaches the eardrum 2 Sound waves cause the eardrum to vibrate, setting the three tiny bones in the middle ear into motion 3 This motion causes the fluid inside the inner ear (cochlea) to move the hair cells 4 Hair cells change the movement into electric impulses, which are sent to the hearing nerve and further into the brain where this is interpreted as sound How does the cochlear implant work? 1 Sound is received by the microphone of the speech processor 2 The sound is processed into digital signals 3 The digital signals are sent to the transmitter coil 4 The transmitter coil sends the digital signals across the skin to the implant (receiver stimulator) where it is converted into electrical signals

3 5 Electrical signals are sent to the electrode array to stimulate the hearing nerve fibers in the inner ear (cochlea) 6 Signals are sent via the hearing nerve to the brain where they are recognised as sound Who can benefit from a cochlear implant? Many children and adults with severe to profound hearing loss, who are not able to gain adequate hearing from conventional hearing aids may benefit from a cochlear implant. The level of success with a cochlear implant is dependent on many factors which will be discussed with you. What does St George s Cochlear Implant Programme offer? There are four main stages of the programme: Assessment The aim of the assessment is to find out if an Cochlear Implant is right for you. This involves: Consultation with the Ear-Nose-and-Throat surgeons and Consultant in Audiovestibular Medicine Evaluation by the Audiological Scientists Speech and Language assessment Home or School visits from the Teacher of the Hearing Impaired CT and MRI scans Other investigations as required At the end of the assessment process, a decision about proceeding with cochlear implantation will be made between you and the team. Surgical Implantation The surgery for insertion of the implant is performed under general anaesthesia and typically lasts 2.5 to 3hrs. The cochlear implant surgeons are experienced in all aspects of ear surgery and use a small incision technique. Modern technology is utilised to reduce the risk of infection and complications. Most children are able to go home the day after surgery. There are risks associated with any surgical procedure and these will be discussed with you as part of the assessment process. The benefit of the implant varies from patient to patient. The decision to have an implant depends on the balance between the risks and benefits. Intensive support after the operation We will provide you with the support that you need after your implant operation. This support is available as: Regular device programming Hearing and speech language sessions with our Speech and Language Therapist and Teacher of the Hearing Impaired

4 Support for you, your family and your local team of professionals (such as your Family Doctor, Speech and Language Therapist and Teacher of the Hearing Impaired) to make the most of this new hearing experience Long term management and support Once the intensive support period is complete, St George s Cochlear Implant Programme continues to provide you with long term support. We will help you manage your implant by: Programming ( mapping ) the device Providing on-going assessments to monitor progress Supplying loan equipment and some replacement parts Communicating with your funding organisations Linking with other professionals involved in your ongoing care How to get in touch with us If you have any questions or would like further information please contact us. By telephone: Cochlear Implant Programme: General Audiology: By minicom: General Audiology: By Cochlear Implant Programme: Cochlear.implants@stgeorges.nhs.uk Programme Co-ordinator: Geoffrey.Forde@stgeorges.nhs.uk Cochlear Implant Manager: Sharmila.patel@stgeorges.nhs.uk By post: St George s Cochlear Implant Programme c/o Department of Audiological Medicine Ground Floor Lanesborough Wing St George s Hospital Blackshaw Rd Tooting SW17 0QT Further information You might also find it useful to visit our website:

5 The Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID) produce a factsheet about Cochlear Implants which you can request by telephoning (freephone) or (textphone) or view online at ets/?ciid= The National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS) is a charity supporting deaf children and young deaf people and the families and professionals working with them. The Cochlear Implanted Children s Support Group (CICS) was founded by parents whose children have cochlear implants. The group offers support for parents of deaf children who want information about cochlear implants. The British Cochlear Implant Group (BCIG) is a professional body representing all the Cochlear Implant Centres and other specialist medical practitioners throughout the United Kingdom. The National Cochlear Implant Users Association (NCIUA) is the Association that represents all Cochlear Implant users in the United Kingdom. It is open to all implant users, their family and friends. The Ear Foundation is a Cochlear Implant support charity which provides courses, resources and support to deaf children, young people and adults with cochlear implants, their families and supporting professionals. Review June 2015

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