King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz University Hospital Performs a Cochlear Implant for a Two-Year-Old Child
مشاركة
12 Aug 2024
The medical team at King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz University Hospital, at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, successfully performed a cochlear implant for a two-year-old child who had been experiencing hearing loss, after the necessary examinations were conducted by audiology and speech specialists. Based on the results, the decision was made to perform cochlear implantation to improve hearing. The surgical procedure focuses on implanting the “cochlea,” an electronic device placed inside the inner ear that helps improve hearing for children and adults with severe impairment, enabling them to hear. The device consists of two parts: an internal part called the implanted cochlea, which is implanted during surgery by an ENT consultant, and an external part known as the programmer or speech processor, which is fitted weeks after the operation by an audiologist. The audiologist explains how to install the device and provides guidance on certain challenges that may be encountered at the beginning of use. The treatment journey then begins through regular follow-ups and periodic checkups to assess hearing and program the speech processor, which increases cochlear implant children’s ability to develop communication skills, expressive language, and sound reception using verbal expression, with hearing aids to avoid challenges appropriate to the child’s needs. The recovery journey continues with a speech and language pathology specialist in auditory rehabilitation through an integrated medical program that may extend up to six years. This aims to develop listening skills, language comprehension, and speech, as well as perception and communication, and to help children learn how to listen to new stimuli such as sounds and how to connect meanings to those sounds through cognitive awareness, then continue teaching them how to integrate and interpret auditory signals in preparation for effective communication with others. This cochlear implant procedure is the fifth of its kind performed at King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz University Hospital, and it comes within the Hospital’s efforts to enhance performance quality in practices and procedures and achieve the highest levels of healthcare, making the Hospital a model among local university hospitals in healthcare, education, and research. In the same context, the World Report on Hearing issued by the World Health Organization in 2021 indicated that “by 2050, nearly 2.5 billion people will be living with some degree of hearing loss and 700 million will require rehabilitation.” The report clarified that early intervention is key to achieving successful outcomes, and that “hearing technologies, such as hearing aids and cochlear implants, accompanied by appropriate support services and rehabilitation therapy, are efficient and cost-effective and can benefit both children and adults.”