Health Tip: Cochlear Implant May Help Profoundly Deaf

(HealthDay News) -- A cochlear implant is a device for severely-to-profoundly deaf people who do not benefit from traditional hearing aids.

It''s designed to produce hearing sensations by electrically stimulating nerves inside the inner ear.

But the device doesn''t work for everyone. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration''s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, factors that can determine the success of a cochlear implant include:

• How long the person has been deaf (those with a shorter-term problem tend to do better than those who have been without hearing a long time).
• How old the person is when the device is implanted (younger patients tend to do better).
• The health and structure of the person''s inner ear.

-- Deborah DiSesa Hirsch

Last Updated: March 14, 2006