Geriatric patients benefit from cochlear implants

By Anthony J. Brown, MD

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The improvements in hearing and quality of life achieved with cochlear implants in older patients is on a par with that experienced by younger patients, new research suggests.

However, the biggest finding, study co-author Dr. Patrick G. Maiberger told Reuters Health, is that other medical conditions, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, do not affect the performance of the cochlear implantation in the elderly. This has not been examined previously."

The results of the study were presented Monday at the American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery Foundation annual meeting and OTO EXPO in Chicago.

The study involved 49 patients who were at least 55 years of age when they underwent cochlear implantation between 1990 and 2006. Their outcomes were compared with those of a younger group of cochlear implant patients, explained Maiberger of the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond.

A cochlear implant is a small, surgically implanted electronic device that provides sound to people with severe hearing loss. Part of the device is positioned behind the ear externally and the rest placed under the skin. The main components are a microphone, a speech processor, a receiver that converts signals into electric impulses, and electrodes that send impulses to the auditory nerve.

A variety of standard hearing tests were performed in the study group, including the Hearing In Noise Test. Quality of life was determined using validated surveys, including the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly and the Glasgow Benefit Inventory.

The patients were an average of 69.5 years of age at the time of implant. All of the patients completed the surveys 73.2 months after the procedure.

No statistically significant differences in hearing perception or quality of life were noted between the older and younger patient groups. The implants also provided comparable benefits to the older patients, regardless of how many other illnesses they had.

Maiberger concludes that "quality of life improves after cochlear implantation in the elderly." He added that his group is now planning to examine "the effect of other demographic factors on quality of life" in patients who undergo cochlear implantation.